Walford is My Home Sweet Home
by MythMoonWitch
Summary: Part 4 in the "Walford is" series. This part picks up over two years after the end of "Walford is My Home Town"
1. Chapter 1

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 1**

Whitney strolled down the street and stopped at the restaurant to get coffee and something for breakfast. She tossed her long, burgundy-streaked curls over her shoulder and smiled at Nora.

"Usual, please," she said brightly and handed over the money for the coffees and cakes she usually bought for herself and Jodie. She thought about her shop and smiled again. She still couldn't believe she's managed it. Although, designing Jodie an amazing wedding dress had helped tremendously with getting things off the ground.

So, she'd closed down the stall and gathered up her savings and managed to get a bit of help from Bianca to get the shop. It wasn't on the High Street, but it was close and it had a flat over it, which was useful. Lauren had immediately jumped on being her roommate. She had got herself a job as a receptionist in an office not far away and the money she paid in for her share of the rent came in very handy. And fortunately Lauren didn't seem to mind that their front room was nothing more than a design studio with bolts of material piled around, Whitney's drafting table, a desk for them to sit at and do paperwork and a couple of dressmaker dummies. Not to mention the long table under the window that she used for cutting patterns.

She thanked Nora and gave Rowan a wave before heading out and back to the shop to open for the day. She opened the door, flipped the sign to "open" and put the coffees and bag with the muffins in it behind the counter. She opened her laptop and checked the website for orders and went into the small back room that she used for some storage and where she also had a second sewing machine set up and began to finish up the most recent order, humming and taking occasional sips of her coffee as she listened for the bell over the door. 

Rowan finished wiping down the cleared tables and then hurried upstairs.

"Ray, you're going to be late," she called out and poked her head around the nursery door. She smiled brightly at the twins and took their hands and led them into the front room.

"Where is your father?" she asked them and Claire smiled slyly and pointed at the bedroom. Rowan tapped her daughter on the nose and went into the bedroom.

"Ray, come on, I have to get the twins to play group before the breakfast rush gets going and I promised Shaz I'd take Olivia and you're going to be late for work," she admonished. 

Ray grunted and rolled onto his back to raise his head to look at her. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered as he heaved himself out of bed and rubbed his face with his hand. He showered quickly and dressed himself for work. He padded through to the front room with a small yawn and grinned at the twins as he saw them ready and waiting to go.

"All right," he said as he eyed them. "Which of you two little monsters ratted me out to your Mam?" he demanded to know as he smiled at the pair of them.

Ray glanced up at Rowan and looked at her hopefully. "I don't suppose there's any breakfast going at all?" he asked with an innocent smile.

Rowan sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You can eat with everyone else at the station," she told him and gave him a shove.

"Dada!" Claire shrieked and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around Ray's leg as she sat on his shoe. Rowan snorted laughter and looked down at Denis, who was looking at Claire in something very like disgust. The toddler made a noise and then looked up at Rowan. He spread his arms as if to say "why me?" and then he turned and wandered over towards the door.

Rowan looked back at Ray and folded her arms.

"It seems Denis is ready to go," she remarked and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I've asked Syed to load the station breakfasts into the car," she told him. She was glad she had invested in a large plastic cooler. The breakfast containers could be packed into it and it fit nicely into the trunk of the car. That way the car seats in the back didn't interfere.

She went over and opened the door and followed Denis down the stairs, leaving Ray to deal with Claire.

Ray frowned at Rowan and then looked down at Claire.

"Hey," he said to her, amusement leaking into his voice. "Leggo of me," he said as he gave his leg a gentle shake to try to dislodge her. He glanced up as Rowan left the flat and then stared back down at Claire.

"Oi," he said as he reached down and pulled her off his foot. "Come on, Madam, before you go getting me in trouble," he said as he kissed her forehead and placed a hand over his stomach as it rumbled loudly.

Claire giggled but refused to let go of Ray's leg. She let go willingly once he reached down for her. She smiled and kissed his cheek noisily before laying her head on his shoulder.

He looked at Claire as he carried her downstairs. "So, playgroup, huh?" he asked. "You gonna paint me another masterpiece?" he grinned at her as he reached the car and put her down into her car seat. He made sure both of them were strapped in and ruffled Denis' hair affectionately before getting into the car behind the wheel.

"Yes," Claire said with a sharp nod.

Denis giggled as Ray mussed his hair and quickly raised his hands to flatten it.

"So, we getting Olivia first or am I going to work first?" he asked her as he pulled away from the curb.

"You at the station and then go pick up Olivia, she's on the way to playgroup," Rowan told him and fastened her seatbelt.

Ray's stomach rumbled again and he looked pointedly at Rowan and then gestured at his stomach. "That's your fault," he told her, then grinned at her as he started up the car.

She looked at Ray and frowned.

"No, you're the one who couldn't get your lazy carcass out of bed," she retorted.

She heard Denis and Claire begin to giggle and then suddenly Denis' voice rang out.

"Carcath, carcath," he parroted while Claire giggled and Rowan sighed.

Ray chuckled to himself as he heard Denis chime up and looked over at him. He was still having trouble with the letter 'S' and often pronounced the word Spoon as Poon. They'd have to make sure that he got that sorted. He wasn't sure how though, maybe Alex would know, it was probably some sort of psychological issue, Alex was supposed to be good at that stuff.

"Yeah, well, you're always up early!" he protested. "You should've woken me up," he grinned at her.

Rowan looked at him and cocked her brow. "I did wake you up," she told him in a level tone.

Ray snorted. "Clearly you didn't," he retorted. "Well, okay, you woke me, but you didn't get me up," he said with a shrug.

Rowan gaped at Ray for a moment and shook her head.

"I shouldn't have to drag you out of bed, you're a grown up."

Ray parked up outside the Station and kissed Rowan before getting out of the car. He opened the door to the back of the car and kissed both Denis and Claire on their foreheads before winking at his family and heading inside the Station.

Rowan climbed out of the car and got into the driver's seat and sighed as she belted herself in.

"Let's go," she sang.

"Lesssgoooooo," the twins cried behind her and she headed for Chris and Shaz' flat.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\ 

Chris hurried around trying frantically to find Olivia's favorite toy. It never seemed to be around when she really wanted it.

"Shaz, I can't find the bloody dog," he yelled as he fished under the recliner. He got up and went into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator. He'd found that bloody toy of Olivia's in odder places.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, where are you, you stupid dog," he muttered to himself when the toy proved to not be in the refrigerator.

He glanced at the clock and swore softly. Rowan would be here any minute to pick Olivia up. They traded off taking the kids to the play group. He hated it when they ran late; Rowan was always so ready and punctual. He cursed again and began opening kitchen cupboards to find the toy. Olivia would go nowhere with out that dog.

As much as she could be a troublemaker, he loved their daughter. He'd been so happy when Shaz had turned up pregnant he'd hardly been able to speak. Now they had Olivia, one year old and their own precious girl. Considering how bad the birth had been, Chris was lucky they had survived. He was thankful for it every day. Shaz couldn't have any more children, the emergency surgery she'd had to have had seen to that, but Chris didn't care. He had Shaz still and they had their own little miracle.

Shaz carried Olivia into the front room and placed her on the sofa carefully and then chuckled at Chris. She bit her lip as she scanned the room and then made an exclamation of triumph. She dashed past Chris and grabbed the toy from the fruit bowl. She handed it to Olivia and smiled at Chris.

"There, how on earth did you miss that?" she asked him incredulously as she made sure that Olivia was ready to go when Rowan got here. The house always seemed to be in some state of chaos now, ever since Olivia had been born the place had never seemed to be completely tidy. There were always toys scattered about, and the occasional sock lying around here and there as the toddler refused to wear them.

"And stop swearing in front of her Chris, I don't want her picking up bad habits," she smiled as she moved over to kiss him on the cheek. She glanced up at the clock. "What time is Ro supposed to be here?" she asked.

"Because it's never someplace obvious like that," Chris argued. "She always put the thing someplace bizarre."

"I wasn't swearing in front of her," he disagreed. "She was in the next room and I was barely talking loud enough to hear myself."

He grabbed up his jacket and pulled it on and handed Shaz her handbag.

"She should be here any minute," he replied and handed her a cup of tea and took a quick sip of his own.

Shaz sighed and shook her head. "You need to look in the obvious places, too," she smiled at him. "Like that time it was actually on her bed," she chuckled. "And we spent at least an hour searching for it to get her to stop crying," she said as she looked over at her daughter.

Shaz shook her head. "I still heard you Chris, and if I could hear you then she probably could," she argued back.

Shaz nodded at him and took her tea, she swallowed a mouthful down and then moved over to Olivia. "You ready to go to playgroup with Claire and Denis?" she asked as she smoothed out Olivia's hair. The girl nodded back eagerly and hugged the dog to her. Shaz smiled and pulled Olivia onto her lap. "You be good for Rowan in the car Olivia, you hear me," she said. "No playing up for Rowan," she told her.

"You promise?"

Olivia nodded and grinned up at Shaz. "Yeah," she said.

"Good girl," Shaz beamed down at her.

"Come on, let's go," Chris said and grabbed Olivia's bag. He went to the door and held it open so Shaz could walk out carrying Olivia. He hurried downstairs and got the building door open and waved as he saw Rowan pulling up in the car.

He waited until Shaz was out and then went to their car and got Olivia's car seat out so he could put it in Rowan's car.

Rowan stopped and got out of the car.

"Hey," she greeted them and smiled.

She opened the back door of the car so Chris could put in the car seat and went over to Shaz.

"So, this weekend? Bit of sci fi?" she asked. "Hopefully, Chris and Ray will go to the pub and leave us alone," she grinned and tickled Olivia under the girl's chin.

"Oh, definitely," Shaz agreed as she smiled at Olivia. "You'll bring the twins, too?" she asked with a smile as she glanced over at Chris as he settled the car seat into Rowan's car.

She waved at Claire and Denis from where they sat in the car and then looked back at Rowan. "Will you bring some food?" she asked.

Rowan gave Shaz an affronted look.

"Have you ever known me not to bring food?" she asked in shock. "Really, Shaz, I'm appalled at such a question," she added and chuckled.

"We'll see you later," Rowan said and made sure the children were secure before climbing back into the car.

She looked out the car window at Shaz again. "Will I bring food, indeed," she snorted and flashed a smile as she drove off to drop the kids.

Shaz smirked as she waved briefly at Rowan as her car disappeared from sight and then hurried to get in the car with Chris to go to work.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Alyssa sat in the bathroom and tapped the stick on her hand anxiously. She had suspected as much, she'd had the suspicion for a couple of days now, she had been right. Alyssa sighed and listened to the sounds of Jack's gentle snores, glad for once that he wasn't up yet. She looked down at the positive pregnancy test again and gulped once more. This wasn't supposed to happen: she didn't want kids. She frowned and stood up from her perch on the edge of the bath, the pregnancy test held in her hand as she moved back towards the bedroom and sat down on the bed next to where Jack lay asleep. She put the test in her lap and ran a finger down his cheek as she looked at him.

Alyssa stood up and shook her head. She wasn't going to tell him. Not yet. She put the test into her beside drawer and went about getting quietly dressed while Jack slept.

Alyssa sat in the kitchen and looked at the fridge. She really should eat, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She sighed and shook her head. She had to tell him, if she told him now then he had the whole day to dwell on it and decide how he felt before she got home, then they could talk about it. She pulled herself out of the chair, sparing a glance at the clock on the oven as she went. She had 10 minutes before she had to be at work.

Alyssa took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs and tiptoed into the bedroom; she pulled the test out of her bedside draw and tapped it on the palm of her hand again. She forced herself to sit down on the bed next to Jack. It wasn't fair for her to get rid of it without telling him, it would be easier, but unfair. Alyssa reached out her hand and shook his shoulder gently.

"Jack," she whispered to him. "Wake up."

Jack grunted and rolled over and looked up at Alyssa. At the look on her face, he immediately sat up.

"Lyss, what's wrong?" he asked in concern and took her hand. He noticed the white stick in her hand and paused a beat before raising his gaze again to meet her eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Alyssa sat there and nodded slowly at him as she put the stick into his hand. "It's positive Jack," she said shakily and swallowed anxiously.

Alyssa drew in a deep breath and glanced at his clock. "I need to go to work," she said as she stood up. "I'll be home for lunch, I'll see you then," she added as she walked out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs and out of the house. She drew in a deep, controlling breath as she headed quickly to the salon; she needed to take her mind off this.

"Positive," Jack barely whispered. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Alyssa was suddenly leaving. He jumped from the bed.

"Lyss, wait!" he called and heard the door slam. She was pregnant. And he was pretty sure she was not happy about it. The question was: was he? He knew he wasn't supposed to be, but he couldn't help feeling very slightly excited about it. He knew he shouldn't. She would certainly not want to keep the baby. He sighed and pulled on his robe and went out into the garden to smoke.

Maybe he could persuade her otherwise.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Peter sighed as he headed for the pub. He actually preferred it now helping Jane at the cafe. He was also working at the pub since JT and Roxy had gone to America for a year. He glanced at the gate of the house and shook his head.

He really wished his father had never come back. The day after he and Molly had got back from the Halloween party to find Ian standing in the front room, it had been a nightmare. Ian had kicked the pair of them out and told Peter he was finished at the chippy. Peter had caught sight of Ben looking a bit shamefaced at Ian's behavior, but he'd said nothing. Peter and Molly had packed their things and moved out. Luck had been a bit on their side however. Tanya let them have her spare room in her flat and then a week later had moved back in with Max, leaving the flat to them.

Jane hadn't minded at all. She had immediately put Peter to work in the cafe and given them a reasonable rent on the flat. Then just a few months ago, Roxy and JT had decided to go to America. Molly had managed to impress Roxy with her business management courses, enough to put Molly in charge of the club while she was gone, with Sarah's help of course. Peter had gone to work in the pub kitchen.

He knocked on the door and smiled at Peggy when she let him in.

"Oh, I need to leave early today, Molly and I have a doctor's appointment," he told her and she nodded. "That's fine, darlin'," Peggy said and patted his hand. Peter held back a sigh and rolled his eyes behind Peggy's back. Was there anyone who didn't seem to know that he and Molly were trying for a baby? Ever since they'd got married just over a year ago. Peter had been happy to wait until Molly finished Uni, but Molly had a mind of her own.

He pulled on the apron, rolled up his sleeves and got ready for the day.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Tanya looked at the clock as she woke and sighed heavily. She wasn't working today, it was Alyssa's turn. She smiled as she rolled back over and hugged the duvet closer to her. Her gaze fell on Max as he slept and she grinned. However much she had hated herself for doing it at the time, staying in the B&B room with him that night had been the best thing she could've done. They'd got back together soon after and she was happy, she knew that it wouldn't last forever but for now she was willing to go with it. She knew she had never truly got over Max, and she knew deep down that she would have gone back to him at some point, child care arrangements were certainly easier now as well. Her only issue had been Jane, she had been getting closer to Max and Tanya knew that she had been more upset that she had let on when she had told her that she was getting back together with Max.

Tanya sighed and spread her hand over his chest; he had to get to the car lot.

"Max," she sang lightly. "Get up," she smiled.

Max opened his eyes and looked at Tanya. He still couldn't believe they'd got back together. He'd felt bad about Jane, but she wasn't as upset as he thought she'd be.

He sat up and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"I assume you're taking Oscar today?" he wanted to know. "Don't suppose there's any chance of a cuppa?"

Tanya nodded. "You've got to get to the Car Lot, so yeah, I'll take Oscar," she agreed.

Tanya sighed and nodded. "I suppose so" she agreed and she swung her legs out of bed. Tanya trailed downstairs and stuck the kettle on. She checked the calendar as she waited for the water to boil and sighed, Abi was on holiday now and she and her friends had gone down to Newquay to celebrate. So, all she had to worry about was Oscar. Tanya fixed Max a cup of tea and then took it back up to the bedroom, she left it on the dressing table for him as she went to go and get Oscar up and ready for Playgroup.

"Thanks, Tan," Max said appreciatively and took a sip before heading into the bathroom to shower. He quickly dressed and bounded downstairs. Tanya was already gone. Ah well, he'd see her for lunch, he'd make sure of that.

He carefully rinsed out the mug and left for the car lot. He nodded at Bradley and then sat down behind his desk and started going through the day's business.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Alyssa was in a world of her own as she set about opening up the Salon and getting it ready for the first customers. Pregnant. She could barely get her head around it, she wasn't sure she wanted to get her head around it. The less attached she got to the idea of a person growing inside her, the easier an abortion would be. But Jack...

She sighed, she would tell Jack how she felt about it, he already knew that kids weren't on her agenda. She didn't want them, simple as. But they'd never really discussed how he would feel about kids; sure he'd said that if they did have them he wanted them while he felt he was still young enough to manage, but they'd never taken the conversation any further than that. She sighed as she watched Maddie, Kim and Gayna all traipse in and nodded mutely at them.

She half-wished she hadn't walked out before talking to him about it, now it would play on her mind. What would she do if he did want to keep it. She would have a hard time saying no, it would hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him. But she didn't want this baby. Alyssa sighed and picked up her phone. She put it down almost immediately; they weren't having this conversation by phone.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Molly pushed her work away in frustration. She had taken an Open University Course so that she could work and study at the same time, but this one assignment was doing her head in. She couldn't write the stupid essay. It was too difficult. She sighed as she sat back in her chair and glared at the sheets of paper. She was restless, her appointment was today and it was all she could think of. She sighed and stood up, Peter had work so she couldn't disturb him. No doubt Whit was busy, too.

Molly went into the bedroom and changed into a pair of shorts and a loose top, then tied her hair into a pony tail before tying up her trainers. She was going to run until she felt calm enough to concentrate on that stupid essay, then she was going to go to that appointment and hopefully put her mind at ease. She nodded determinedly as she left the flat.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Chris started up the car and drove them to the station.

"So, have you got used to being a DS yet?" Chris asked curiously. The Guv had promoted her just a couple weeks before. He was so proud of her.

He parked the car and hurried around and opened the car door for her. 

Shaz shrugged and smiled at him. "I suppose, it's not really all that different from DC if I'm honest," she smiled at him as she shut her car door and walked with him into the station, sparing a smile at Adam as they passed him. She went into the office and smiled at Ginger as she passed his desk, she chuckled at the sight of him yawning.

Chris shook his head; he couldn't believe Shaz was being so blasé about her promotion. He was really proud of her. He grabbed up a breakfast container and dropped into his chair and looked over at Ginger as he opened the container, glanced at the food and then back at Ginger.

"Morning, sleepy head," she said to him as she took her seat at her desk and eyed her stack of paperwork warily.

"So, what did you get up to?" Chris asked and then held up a hand at the look on Ginger's face. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Actually, just got back into town. Simon and I went to Letherbridge over our time off, his mates kept us up late last night, saying goodbye," Ginger sighed. "I'll be fine."

"Morning," Ray called out from his desk in the other room. Shaz rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking to you Ray!"

"I'm sleepy, too, you should be more specific," Ray grumbled back. Shaz chuckled and looked back at Ginger with a smile.

"Why are you sleepy?" she asked Ray.

Ray frowned. "Why'd you think?" he retorted. "I've got twins that wear me out and wake up too early," he said.

Shaz smiled at Ginger and then noticed Chris eating. She looked around and licked her lips as she spotted the breakfast containers, in all the chaos this morning with trying to get Olivia ready for playgroup and trying to find her dog, Shaz realised that they hadn't actually had breakfast, well, Olivia had, she'd sat down at the table while Shaz had got a shower, but she and Chris hadn't eaten. She rose from her desk and grabbed up at container, she peeked inside and licked her lips as she sat down at her desk again.

Shaz looked back up at Chris. "Ro and I are having another Sci-Fi marathon this weekend," she told him. "Just so you know," she added with a grin at him.

"Well, then, I'll see if Ray wants to go down pub," Chris said around a mouthful of breakfast. He got up and went down the hall.

"Oi, we're going t'pub this weekend. Seems Shaz and Ro want to watch their shows again," he explained.

Ray looked up at Chris and nodded gamely. "I'm up for that," he agreed and narrowed his eyes.

"Shaz and Ro will be looking after Olivia, Denis and Claire right?" he asked. "Because, I'm not sure that I want the twins in the pub, especially not if we end up playing darts, I won't be able to cope with two of them there at the same time, one maybe, but not two," he said.

Chris nodded. "Well, yeah, of course they will. Shaz was asking Rowan if she's be bringing some food. Rowan was insulted," Chris chuckled.

"Besides, if they wanted us to watch the kids, they'd be going out and we'd be staying in."

Ray shrugged and nodded.

"True nuff," he agreed. "I'll drop Ro and the kids off at yours and then we'll go down the pub," he said with a grin.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Jane sighed as the long queue for coffees and teas finally came to an end. She had to admit she had been a little hurt when Max had told her he was going back with Tanya, but part of her had been relieved. After the mess with Ian, she just couldn't take the idea of having a relationship. She had decided it was for the best and thrown herself into her work, especially after Ian had returned to the Square, Ben in tow. That had been the last thing she'd needed, but he was staying away at least.

The way he'd treated Peter, though. Peter had kept Ian's "empire" from collapsing and all he'd done was kick Peter and Molly out of the house. Jane was sure Ian hadn't even said thank you. At least he hadn't been able to take Peter's money. Jane had suggested long ago that Peter set up his own account to keep any money that he might get separate. Granted, it hadn't been much, but Ian would have made sure it was nothing.

Rowan got back to the restaurant just in time for the rush and she quickly went to work in the kitchen so Syed could help James and Nora on the floor. Once breakfast ended, she and Trevor quickly cleaned the kitchen and then sat down at the table in the kitchen with relief.

"Uh, excuse me, I'd like some service," James teased as he walked into the kitchen.

"You know where the stove is," Rowan said back tartly and sniffed. James chuckled and made himself a quick sandwich before dropping into a chair.

"I saw your team won their match the other day," James noted. Rowan nodded.

"It was a good game," she commented and turned back to her newspaper.

"Maybe if you watched my team play, they would win more, too," he said. Rowan looked at him and then at Trevor and then back at James.

"Dream on, sweetcheeks," she shot back and chuckled as she shook her head. James grinned and finished his sandwich then went back to work so Nora could take a break. 

Whitney was relieved when it was finally lunchtime.

"Why don't you go and get us something from the restaurant for lunch today?" Whit suggested to Jodie, who happily agreed. When Jodie was gone, Whitney quickly finished up the order that Jodie was packing and started on the next. With any luck, they could ship three orders out today and then they'd be caught up.

She smiled to herself. It was happening. Slowly, but her shop was actually working. It was hard and she often had to watch every penny, but she didn't mind. She had done it without Brett's help. She sometimes felt slightly bad, but over her final years at school, he'd never bothered to apologize for treating her like a child who couldn't do anything, so she decided she didn't feel all that bad about dumping him.

She taped up the final box and then dug out the camera. She needed to post some new things on the website.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Tanya dropped Oscar off at Nursery and then decided to go home via the Salon, just to check everything was okay. She frowned as she looked through the window and saw Alyssa leaning on the desk, just staring straight ahead of her. Tanya sighed and pushed open the door.

"Alyssa," she said as she moved forward and frowned when she got no reaction, Alyssa just kept on staring into space. She dropped her handbag onto the desk and jolted Alyssa out of her trance.

"Oh, heya, Tan," she smiled as she leant off the desk and looked down at the appointment book.

"What's wrong, Lyss?" Tanya asked, with a frown plastered all over her face.

"Nothing, I'm fine Tanya, I'm fine," she said as she kept her gaze fixed on the book as she skimmed through it.

"Uh huh," Tanya replied, unconvinced. "Are you sure?" she pressed.

Alyssa's head whipped up. "I'm fine Tanya," she repeated, her voice a monotone. "Just drop it, please," she asked.

Tanya looked at her critically, but sighed and dropped the subject. She smiled. "Have we still got that space at 2 free? The one with Kim?" she asked and Alyssa nodded. "You want it?" she asked.

Tanya nodded and smiled. "I need my nails doing," she said and waggled her fingers. Alyssa smiled and nodded. "I'll write it down for you," she said as she grabbed up a pen and flicked back to the page and wrote down Tanya's name.

Tanya looked at Alyssa. "Lyss..."

Her head shot up and her expression went cold "I'm fine Tanya, please, just stop!" she said as she slammed the pen down.

Tanya's eyebrows flew up. "All right. I'll leave you to it," she said as she grabbed up her bag and left the Salon. Alyssa watched her go and sighed as she rested her chin on her fist, as she looked back down at her phone. She shouldn't have left the house before talking to Jack properly, she regretted now, it was all she could think about.

Jack finished up his work in the garden and then decided maybe he should take Alyssa to lunch. After her bombshell this morning, he had to know more. He still couldn't believe she'd left without talking to him properly.

He quickly cleaned up and changed clothes and set off for the salon.

He peered around the door when he got there and then slipped inside.

"Lyss?" 

Alyssa looked up at the sound of Jack's voice and nodded at him. "Gimme a sec," she said quietly and then hurried upstairs. She looked around at the girls and spotted Gayna clearing her workstation.

"Gayna, I'm taking my lunch break, can you man the desk for me," she said and left quickly before Gayna could refuse. She looked at Jack and swallowed anxiously as she made her way towards him "I'm sorry I ran off this morning" she said "I just need to get my head around this" she added. For some reason she felt a little nervous around him, she supposed it was because she didn't know how he felt about her pregnancy, but she had her suspicions that his feelings would be different from hers.

"It's fine, look, I've got some food in this bag here so let's go to the park and find a quiet tree and talk, or we can go back home and have it in the garden," he said to her soothingly and slid his arm around her shoulders to give them a squeeze.

Alyssa leaned into him and slid an arm around his waist. She nodded. "Park, I think," she said quietly as she walked with him. She scanned the park and spotted a tree set aside from the rest of the people, Alyssa gently led Jack towards the tree and sat down at the base of it's trunk. She looked up at him and tugged on his hand until he was sat down next to her, and she watched his face.

"Jack, I need you to be honest with me," she said. "Please, just, tell me what _you _want me to do," she pleaded.

Jack sat down next to her and looked at her in surprise.

"Alyssa, what are you talking about? You don't want kids, I know that, I accepted that," he began and then broke off. He gave her a considering look and then took a deep breath.

"Or are you considering keeping the baby?" he asked.

Alyssa looked at him and sighed. "I've never been pregnant Jack, I've never had to get rid of a baby, and I don't want to take the opportunity for you to be a Dad away from you if you want it," she said. "I don't think I could," she added.

She looked at the floor for a moment. "I don't want kids, Jack, I never have, but a big part of that is because I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm scared because it's a huge responsibility, I'm scared because I'm afraid that I'll end up like my Mum and I don't want to be like her!" she said as she clenched her fists in the grass.

"So I need you tell me whether or not you want this baby," she said to him earnestly.

"Lyss," Jack said softly and pulled her to him. "I would love to have a child with you. Yes, it's a big responsibility, but we'd be doing it together. And look how brilliant you are with Claire and Denis," he reassured. He leaned back and put a hand to her cheek.

"I personally don't think you are going to end up like your mum," he said with a small shake of his head. He lifted a hand and stroked her hair. "You're too fiery tempered for one thing," he added and then grinned.

He took her face in both his hands and lifted it so she was looking into his eyes. "I will not stop you from not having the baby, though. I married you knowing full well that kids weren't in our future. I love you, Alyssa and that's not going to change," he said and kissed her softly.

Alyssa took a deep breath as he broke the kiss and let it out as a sigh. She looked up at him and nodded.

"Ok," she whispered. "So, you're saying you don't mind either way," she clarified quietly. She nodded again and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug as she rested her forehead on his shoulder and sighed again. He didn't mind if she kept the baby, he didn't mind if she got rid of it. She didn't know what to do. No matter what he said she had a suspicion that getting rid of the baby would upset him. With another sigh she pulled herself away from him and leaned against the tree, eyeing the bag he had brought with him.

"What's for eating?" she asked him, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Jack could see Alyssa doubted his words.

"Lyss, I mean it. It wouldn't be fair of me to be angry with you if you terminate. I knew full well your feelings before we got married and if it was a problem I would not have married you, okay?" he said forcefully. She needed to know he would support her whatever her decision, though he would be ecstatic if she chose to keep it. He didn't want resentment between them if she kept the baby and regretted it. He simply couldn't bear it.

Alyssa nodded. "Okay," she said quietly, a small smile covering her face.

"Well, I made some ham sandwiches and there's a salad and …..oh look, chocolate cake!" he told her as he pulled some things out and grinned.

Alyssa couldn't help but smile at him as he unpacked the food and she reached for one of the sandwiches. She was still going to have to think about this; she knew that he would be disappointed if she got rid of the child, but she was a little relived knowing that he wouldn't hate her if she got rid of it. When, she got rid of it, not if. She sighed inwardly, she wasn't going to think about keeping this child, she didn't want to. She wasn't going to.

Peggy looked at Phil as he ate his way through his lunch.

"So, the gym going all right for you?" she asked. Phil nodded and took another bite.

"Think I found someone to help train and Jay's gonna work there now that's he's off school," he told her.

Peggy smiled. She hadn't minded helping Phil get the money to do his boxing gym idea, not once he'd finally put the effort in to getting clean. She put it down to Ian's unexpected return from the US with Ben. Suddenly, Phil was making an effort and since Pat and Ricky weren't willing to have Phil back at the garage, Phil had needed something to do. When he'd come up with this gym idea, Peggy had been fully supportive.

"Well, that's great news, darlin'," Peggy told him and patted him on the shoulder as she passed him to go and gather empty glasses. 

"So how are things going at the shop?" Rowan asked Jodie when the girl came in to pick up lunch.

"All right, I like it better than working on a stall," Jodie told her and paid for the food before going back to the shop.

She noticed a willowly brunette sitting in the corner booth who kept staring at James. Rowan smirked and walked over to him.

"Looks like your admirer is back," Rowan teased and jerked her chin in the girl's direction as Nora giggled.

"She's in your section," Nora sing-songed, joining in and Rowan chuckled.

"Will you two stop?" James huffed, feigning annoyance and went over to take the order.

Rowan and Nora looked at each other and grinned before going about their business.

Rowan wandered into the kitchen and wondered if Ray was going to be coming in for lunch or eating at the station. She checked her phone. No texts yet. 

"I'm back!" Jodie called out as she got back to the shop. Whitney came out of the back room and gratefully took her food from Jodie.

"Thanks, Jo."

"Sure. Oh, and I talked to my Mum. She loves the outfit and she's going out today to lunch with some women she knows to show it off. She'll make sure they know where she got it."

"Oh, thanks, Jodie, really."

Jodie waved her hand. "It's no trouble and Mum loved the idea of getting such a nice outfit at a discount," Jodie told her.

"Well, I'm really glad I got to meet her, she seems nice."

Whitney opened her laptop and checked for orders on the website as she ate her food.

"Okay, I've got to go and pick up some material and drop those boxes at the post office. Shouldn't be gone more than a couple of hours."

Jodie nodded and looked back at the magazine she was flipping through. Whitney shook her head, picked up her handbag and the boxes and went outside just as Charlie was pulling up.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Bolton did a double take as he spotted a familiar girl getting into the cab. Her hair was different but he was pretty sure that it was Whitney. He smiled, she was still living around here then, he was glad. She was part of the reason that he had moved down here, his DJ career had been going nowhere while he had been living up in Manchester, but down here he reckoned he stood a better chance of getting somewhere with it. However, he had found a Gym not far away and had applied for a job there, he had been given the job as a Boxing Coach and he was happy of it. He could train people during in the day and doing some DJ-ing on the side at night. His 2 favourite activities.

Now he just needed to find out whether or not Whitney was still single. The last time he had seen her she had to call on her if he was ever around, he was intending to hold her to that. He grinned, she'd come out of that shop, but now he knew that she was still around he would have an easier time of looking out for her. Bolton kicked at a stone on the pavement and chuckled to himself as he continued on his way.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\ 

Rowan checked her phone again, still nothing from Ray.

"You coming here for lunch or going elsewhere?" she texted him and quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket. She'd hold off making something for him until she heard back. She set about finely chopping chicken for chicken salad and found herself wondering when Ray was going to bring marriage up again. She loved Ray and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, but she didn't want to get married. She couldn't seem to get him to understand. She had told him she would willingly take him back to Virginia and handfast him, but she didn't feel she needed some piece of paper saying she was legally wed.

Ray's mother didn't seem bothered that they weren't married. The twins had their father's name. Why wasn't that enough? She shook her head and focused back on the chicken.

"You all right, Rowan?" she heard Syed ask from behind her. She glanced up.

"Yes, I'm fine, just...thinking. How are things for you?"

"Good, Christian and I might be getting a child soon," he told her.

"It's only been what...a two year wait?" she asked him. "I'm glad you're finally getting good news."

"Yooo hooo, I need three steak sandwiches," James called over and waved the ticket before hanging it up.

Rowan shook her head.

"You do see Trevor standing right there?" she asked him.

James looked around. "Ummmmm."

"Get back out there," Rowan ordered in a jokey tone and looked back at Syed.

"We need more chips and can you put that tray of chicken pot pies in the oven?"

Syed nodded and got to work while Rowan took the chicken over to the prep table and then helped Trevor with the sandwiches. 

Whitney finished at the post office and texted Molly as Charlie drove her back towards the shop.

"Appt today? Good luck. Let me know," she sent and the climbed out of the cab as Charlie pulled up in front of the shop. She handed Charlie the money and climbed out of the cab.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Peter left the pub the minute lunch rush was over and hurried to the flat. He bounded up the stairs and rushed into the flat.

"Molls, you here?" he called out as he entered the flat.

Molly looked up from her essay as her phone went off. She really needed to learn to turn it off while she was working. She read Whitney's text regardless and smiled as she sent one back. "I'll pop round later, need to get away from this essay anyway."

"I'm here!" she called back to Peter as she stood up and came out of the bedroom.

"Ready to go?" he asked her. "I booked Charlie to drive us over to the hospital."

Molly smiled and nodded at him. "I'm ready," she said as she took his hand and smiled at him broadly. She squeezed his hand gently. "Is Charlie here?" she asked him.

Peter nodded and led her out of the flat and helped her into the cab. He held her hand tightly as they rode to the hospital. He was really nervous about these tests. He knew he shouldn't be, but he still was.

He handed Charlie the money and slid out of the cab and headed for the door to hold it open for Molly.

Molly smiled at Peter as she got out of the cab and thanked Charlie. She took his hand as she looked up at the Hospital, she felt a bit nervous now she was here, but Peter was with her. She'd be fine. Molly smiled at him again as she pulled on his hand gently and headed inside.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Ray looked at his phone and snorted at her text.

"There of course!" he replied and put his phone down. Where else would he go? He chuckled to himself, the Restaurant meant he got the best food around, he got to see Rowan and he was practically at home. It was by far the best thing.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan paused as she heard her phone go off and quickly fished it from her pocket. She read Ray's text and couldn't help but smile.

"Starting to make it then, best get here soon," she sent back and returned to her cooking. 

Ray smiled at her text and glanced at the time. He shrugged and kept half an eye on the clock as he worked his way through his paperwork. He stood up and dropped his pen the second it got to his lunch break and marched out of the office. Ray sighed, Rowan had taken the car, he was going to have to walk home. He hummed to himself as he went and lost himself in his thoughts. Rowan was refusing to marry him, they'd spoken about it and she didn't want to. He couldn't help but feel upset over it, he just wanted her in his life forever, and he didn't want another man touching her. But she was refusing to marry him. What was he supposed to do? He supposed he'd just keep trying until she said yes.

Ray looked up at the Restaurant as he reached it and moved inside, waving at Rowan as he spotted her in the kitchen. He weaved through the people already inside the Restaurant and headed straight for the kitchen, making sure to keep out of the way of any of the staff that were busy. He tapped Rowan on the shoulder and glanced around. "Whatcha cooking?" he asked her curiously and patted his stomach. "I'm hungry," he told her, attempting a pathetic look.

Rowan glanced over at him and carried some plates to the pass bar.

"You, if you sneak up on me again like that," Rowan said without turning and looking at Ray. She knew full well he was trying to look pathetic, it was in the tone of his voice.

"Go, sit," she said and pointed at the table they kept in the kitchen. He could sit there and not take any space from the floor. She watched him sit from the corner of her eye, but kept her attention focused on the pan in front of her.

"I have made you a tuna melt and chips," she told him and finally looked at him. She flashed him a smile and brought over the plate, kissing him as she put the plate down.

"I do hope work is going well today," she said brightly and then went back over to the stove to begin another order.

Ray watched her go and sighed. He missed spending the whole of lunch time with her, he grabbed the plate and pulled it towards him grumpily. Hopefully she'd come back over once the rush was over. Ray bit into the Tuna Melt as he kept his gaze fixed on the Rowan. He supposed he should ease up about the whole marriage thing, but he wanted it so much. He sighed as he ate his way through his meal unenthusiastically.

"Yeah. Same old, same old really. Chris said you and Shaz were planning another SciFi thing this weekend so we were just making some plans," he shrugged.

"I would imagine those plans involve the pub," she teased and sighed with relief when she saw Trevor finish up the last of the orders. She glanced out at the floor again and walked back over to sit down at the table. She reached over and swiped one of his last few chips off the plate and ate it.

"How's stuff here? Claire, Denis and Olivia go in okay?" he asked.

"Busy as usual," she told him after she'd swallowed. "The kids went fine, though I thought Claire was going to get muley again. The looks Denis gives her when she acts like that just make me giggle. It's the same look you get on your face when you get annoyed."

She propped her elbow on the table and dropped her chin into her hand. "He looks like you and she acts like you," she kidded him and fluttered her lashes, before taking her chin from her hand, grabbing hold of his collar and pulling him to her for a kiss.

"Hey, get a room, people are eating," James snorted as he brought a stack of dirty plates back, his remark drawing a bark of laughter from Trevor.

"Aww, James, you're just jealous," Rowan shot back and looked back at Ray.

"Too right, I am," James joked back and chuckled.

"The twins decided we should have pizza tonight, so can you stop at that little place down the road on your way home from work and pick one up? I'll call it in so it'll be ready," she said and noticed Mercy coming back with another couple of orders.

"I better get back to it," she sighed and patted Ray's cheek before heading back to the cooktop.

Ray nodded agreeably at her and smirked at James' back over Rowan's shoulder.

"Fine by me. Just make sure whatever you order for me has some sort of meat on it," he smiled at her as he watched her go. He sighed and pushed the food around his plate. He watched the goings on in the kitchen for a bit, his gaze finally coming to rest on Rowan's back. He shook his head, he wanted to marry her. He would marry her. Ray chewed his lip as he thought and finally shovelled another forkful of food into his mouth.

"Of course it will have meat on it," Rowan snorted. "What do you take me for?"

An idea came to him as he chewed and her hand caught his attention. He smiled broadly through his mouthful. That was what he would do. Yes. He cleaned all the food off his plate and into his mouth then dodged around the kitchen staff to put his plate in the washer.

She glanced over at him and noticed he had an odd smile on his face. Her brow furrowed, but she got distracted by her cooking before she could ask him about it.

He turned and moved over to Rowan, his hands resting lightly on her hips as he pressed his lips to her cheek.

"I'll pick up the pizzas from the shop," he promised. "Have fun cooking," he smiled at her.

Ray let go of her and turned to leave, he looked back over his shoulder to grin at her as he left. Now he had this idea he could hardly wait. He was excited, and a little nervous. But mainly excited. He waved briefly as he left the restaurant and headed back to work.

She flashed him a quick smile at the feel of his lips on her cheek. "Oh, of course I will," she said a bit dryly and put a plate up on the pass-through so she could watch him walk away. These three years they had been together were probably the happiest she'd ever been in her life. She still couldn't believe what she'd thought was a very enjoyable one night stand would end up being the best thing that had ever happened to her.

She smiled to herself and went about starting to tidy up the kitchen.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Jack ate his sandwich quietly, occasionally glancing at Alyssa.

"So, how about…" he began, "we go to the cottage after you, um, take care of things?" he asked her. "Just the two of us?" He reached over and squeezed her hand before pulling another sandwich out.

She would no doubt want time alone and he wanted to be there for her. The cottage would be perfect. It would give her the perfect excuse to avoid people without telling them why.

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him. Take care of things? What was that supposed to mean? She frowned in confusion and opened her mouth, then shut it again. She sighed, her brow still creased as she stared at him.

"Take care of things...?" she repeated slowly "So..." she trailed off as she couldn't find the words and shook her head.

Alyssa looked back up at him and nodded. "Sure," she said quietly, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, but her brow still creased in a small frown as she reached for another sandwich and pulled off the crust.

"If that's what you want to do," he told her and took her hand. "I don't want to pressure you and make you feel I expect one thing or the other. It wouldn't be fair to you, and I love you too much to treat you like that," he kissed her hand and then let it go so she could eat. "But I think no matter what you decide, we should have some alone time."

Alyssa nodded at him as she chewed.

"Okay," she said quietly as she stared off to look at another part of the park, her gaze following the people as the ambled along. She looked back at Jack and smiled softly. "I like the idea of going up to the cottage," she told him. "A little holiday," she smiled.

"I thought you might," he grinned at her. He fully intended to spoil her.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Lauren walked into the restaurant and sat in James' section. She was sure he would notice her sometime, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a career woman, sort of, who was going places, maybe. She was an adult now at any rate. She gave him a flirtatious smile that he seemed to ignore and ordered her food.

She loved living off the Square away from her mum and dad. They were insufferable now that they were back together. She thought it made Abi sick sometimes, too. But she loved sharing a flat with Whitney, even if they didn't have a proper front room. They usually went out instead of having people over. Whitney always seemed to manage to finagle invites to great parties to promote her shop and her designs, and she always took Lauren as her plus one.

She thanked James when he brought her food over and then watched him flit about his section of the restaurant and wished he'd notice her.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\

Lucy finished putting up her hair and flicked her fingers across her fringe to get it to lay straight. She stood in front of the mirror and turned from side to side to see how the uniform looked and sighed. Somehow during her time away, she'd gotten herself sorted out and began to take some more classes and she'd spent the last two years working on a criminal justice degree.

After a lot of interviews and more interviews, she'd finally been taken on as a trainee police officer, back here in Walford. She'd heard from Peter that their father was back, but she had no intention of going to him. She'd managed to get herself a decent little bedsit not far from the station.

The man who'd agreed to let her become a trainee finally, DSI Hunt, had hinted she might be able to get into CID, apparently her brains had impressed him. She was still taking Open University classes to fit around her work schedule. CID sounded very interesting. He had thought it odd when she didn't want her father told, but he'd agreed. She would tell her father when it suited her, not before.

She glanced at the clock. He'd told her to be there at 1:00 and she had no intention of being late. She headed out of the flat and to the station, arriving early. She nodded at Adam and went to DSI Hunt's office.

"Good afternoon, sir, PC Trainee Lucy Beale reporting," she told him and gave him a professional smile. He looked up at her, nodded and then looked back down at the file.

"Have a seat," he said and gestured at one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Nearly done."

After a few minutes, he closed the folder.

"Okay, let's show you around and you can meet the officer you will be training with. And as I said before, if I see good things from you, I'll see about having you brought over to CID. I could use another good person on my team."

Lucy nodded and at his gesture, left his office.

He showed her all over the station and introduced her around and then left her in PC Williams capable hands as her training officer.

He then went in search of Alex, finding her at her desk as usual.

"I'm ready for lunch, how about you?" he said and waited.

Alex looked up from her phone as she saw Gene head towards her. She nodded as she stood up and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. "Yeah," she nodded as she checked her phone. Alex pocketed it with a sigh and looked up at him.

"Still no word from Molls, she's got that appointment today," she said to him as she stepped out from behind her desk and patted his arm as she passed him and headed out of the office, she paused at the doorway.

"I don't see why they don't just stop trying for awhile," Gene grunted. "Molly's got enough on her plate, I think."

Alex sighed and shrugged. "She's stubborn, Gene," she said with a small smile. "No matter how hard you try she's not likely to change her mind. Cafe? Or Rowan's?" she asked.

He looked at Alex and pondered her question a moment then glanced at his watch again.

"I'm thinking Rowan's will be fine. It's late enough the worst of the rush will be over," he suggested and began walking in that direction.

"The new trainee PC started today. Still can't believe that Lucy Beale decided to become an officer. She was a bit of a troublemaker from what I heard. She's very smart and very sharp. I think she'll go far if she puts her mind to it. I've got her training with Williams and I've been thinking about the possibility of bringing her onto our team. Maybe you could mentor her a bit, sort of encourage her. I think she'd do well with all that psychology business," he told her.

Alex walked alongside him and nodded.

"Beale?" she asked curiously. "As in Peter's sister?" she added with a small smile. "I don't mind training her up in the ways of Criminal Psychology, the more people we have that know about it the better as far as I'm concerned," she smiled. "We can see if she'll do a course in it as well as her training if she's interested," she suggested.

Alex chewed her lip in thought as they walked. "She's got to do her 2 year probationary period in Uniform before we can consider her for CID though, Gene," she said with a small shrug. "But that should give her enough time to do a bit of extra training in Criminal Psychology if she'd like," she smiled at him.

"Yes, as in Peter's sister," he nodded. "I'm well aware of that, Bolls, but a little extra mentoring never hurt anyone. Something tells me she could be a good cop. We shouldn't waste it. I think she's already done a course, so why don't you talk to her a bit when we get back from lunch. Get to know her," he suggested.

Alex nodded agreeably. "Fine by me," she smiled.

"I'm picking up Sam today, Joanna's on holiday as of last night," she told him as they reached the Restaurant. "So I'm leaving work early," she told him and smiled at him and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Just in case you wonder why I've suddenly disappeared," she said with a small grin. "And his nursery teacher wanted to talk to me about something, too," she added with a small shrug.

"What now?" Gene couldn't help but groan as he dropped into a booth. He nodded at Nora and ordered tea and began to idly tap the table as he waited.

"What now?" Gene couldn't help but groan as he dropped into a booth. He nodded at Nora and ordered tea and began to idly tap the table as he waited.

"Well I don't know do I!" she retorted back with a small scowl and then sighed with a shrug. Sam had been having some problems with some of the other children, bullying. She sat back against the seat and looked at Gene, considering how much Sam was like his father she thought that they would have had problems with Sammy being the bully. But no, it was the other way around: her little Sammy was being bullied by the other children. She'd tried talking to him about it, given him tips and advice, but how much could you really expect from a 4 year old?

Alex glanced at the menu resting on the table for a moment and refused to pick it up. They ate here so often that she knew almost everything on the menu, and had sampled most of it too. She moved her gaze back up to Gene.

"I think he's still having problems with the other children," she said sadly.

Gene frowned again. His son….being bullied. Sammy was a Hunt. He wasn't supposed to get bullied. He was tempted to have Alex find Sammy another school. He huffed out another breath and ordered meatloaf and mash to eat and took a gulp of his tea.

"Maybe we should find a different nursery?" he suggested. "Why can't he go to the one Ray and Chris' kids go to?" That was one thing he hadn't understood at all. He knew those kids and they all got along, well, as long as the other children seemed to let that little Claire run everything. That girl was a right little madam. She had the bossy streak he'd noticed in Rowan in full and Ray's stubbornness. He didn't envy his DI at all. However, the little girl seemed to worship her father and seemed willing to do as he told her, Rowan confessed Claire was not the same at all with herself.

Gene shook his head and gazed at Alex as he waited for her answer.

Alex sighed. "We've been through this Gene, there's very little point in moving him now, he starts school next September and it's not fair on him to move him from nursery to nursery just because he's got a small problem," she told him calmly, she'd explained this to him before, but he was relentless when it came to this subject. Sure, she'd like to move Sam to the same Nursery that Claire, Denis and Olivia went to, but that wasn't going to teach Sam anything, he had to learn to deal with his problems, not expect a magic wand to solve them for him.

"If he learns how to deal with bullies now then he'll have less of an issue when he's older. He just needs to be strong and ignore it until they go away and leave him alone," she said as calmly as she could. It upset her that Sam was being bullied, he was her son and it wasn't fair. The one time she'd sat in his room and hugged him tightly while he cried because one of the other boys had drowned his toy lorry in the water bowl. It hadn't been damaged but Sammy had been so upset. That had been the last time that Alex had let him take his own toys to nursery with him.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Lucy listened intently to PC Williams as they walked around the Square. Not much had changed she noticed. She'd avoided coming to the Square since she'd got the flat nearby, choosing to shop and eat near the High Street which wasn't too far. Now, she was ready to face the Square.

She knew her brother was living with that girl Molly. She remembered Molly well. They'd had a bit of a disagreement at that party. She smiled. But the girl had stuck it out. Lucy had to give her credit for that. She might just be good enough for her brother then. She kept her hat pulled slightly low, and though she hadn't changed much over the years, she'd changed enough that many people weren't recognizing her. It made her chuckle. Why would they ever think Lucy Beale would be walking around in the uniform of a police officer? They wouldn't.

Her cover was blown however, when they went into the café to get a couple of teas to go. Jane had peered at her curiously for several minutes and then her jaw had dropped.

"Lucy?" Jane yelped. Lucy couldn't help but smile and gave a small nod. Jane bolted around the counter and wrapped Lucy in a hug.

"Please, Jane, I can't breathe," Lucy gasped out and Jane quickly released her.

"When did you get back, and what…you're a PC?" she asked hurriedly.

"About a month ago, and a trainee just now," Lucy corrected.

"You've been here a month?"

"Yeah, I needed to work up to coming back and seeing everyone so I've mostly stayed around my flat."

"Have you seen your father?" Jane asked cautiously and Lucy took a sip of her tea and shook her head.

"Not yet. Don't know if I really want to if I'm honest."

"You really should."

Lucy made a dismissive gesture and took another sip of her tea.

"I'm planning to see Peter though."

"He'd love that. He should be here in a couple of hours. He helps me out in the evenings so I can do my gigs," Jane explained.

Lucy nodded. "I should be done by then. I'll make sure to stop by, in my uniform," she grinned and Jane chuckled at the sight of the "old" Lucy.

"C'mon, Beale, back to work," Williams broke in and Lucy looked at Jane and shrugged.

"Bye."

"Good to see you, Lucy," Jane called after her and shook her head. She would never have guessed it.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Peter smiled at Molly. He was nervous. He hoped everything was okay. Jane had told him sometimes the pressure of trying to have a baby could stop it happening and that there might be nothing wrong with either of them. They should just relax. Peter wondered if they shouldn't go ahead and put off having a baby, at least until Molly had finished her courses and didn't have so much going on. Between running the club for Roxy and her coursework, she was always busy. He worried she might be overwhelmed.

Molly sighed as they came out of the hospital and she looked around, releasing her hair from the pony tail she had put it in when they had gone inside. She sighed as she looked at Peter and reached over to slide her hand into his and she squeezed gently. Molly moved closer and gave him a soft kiss

"We're okay," she smiled as she stroked his fringe off his forehead.

"I guess we should just do what the doctor said, eh?" Peter said as he slung an arm around her. "Have less stress," he said and then chuckled. They both had so much on, he wasn't sure less stress was possible.

"We'll just stop trying so hard and focus on us and see what happens."

He waved at Charlie as he pulled up in the cab and opened the door for her.

"If you're not working tonight, why don't we get everyone together and go out?"

Molly smiled. "I hope that means more cuddles on the sofa and lie-ins on a Sunday," she smiled at him as she fitted her arm around his waist.

Molly climbed into the cab with a quick 'hello' to Charlie then turned to Peter and nodded at him eagerly. "Good idea!" she agreed. "We haven't had a big night out in ages!" she exclaimed. "I'll text Whit, you get onto Fats and we'll pull everyone together," she said happily.

Molly whipped out her phone and sent a text off to Whitney. "Up for a night out tonight?"

She snapped her phone shut and dropped it back into her bag as she smiled at Peter happily.

"As long as we don't have to work, I'm all for lie-ins," he agreed.

He nodded at her and sent off a text to Fatboy as the cab pulled away from the curb. "You and Merce up for a night out?"

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Whitney dug through the pile of material until she found her phone and grinned as she read Molly's text.

"YES!-will text Lauren," she sent back and quickly shot off a text to Lauren, who wholeheartedly agreed. Whitney began to hum under her breath as she dropped her phone in her pocket and set to sewing just a bit faster.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Peter gave Molly a quick kiss as Charlie dropped him near the café. "I'll see you later," he said and turned and walked right into someone.

"Oh, sorry," he said and stepped back. Great, it was a lady cop. He looked from her to the male officer who was a few paces back and swallowed hard.

Suddenly, she laughed. "You never watch where you're going, do you Petey?" a familiar voice asked. She took off her hat and Peter couldn't help the gasp and then his shout of joy.

"LUCY!" he cried and grabbed her into a hug. He never thought he'd be so happy to see his sister on the Square again. He'd not been able to go visit her since their father had returned and then she'd said she was busy with Uni courses and it had been two years since he'd seen her.

"You look fantastic," he said and hugged her tight. She couldn't help but laugh.

"I've missed you too, bro, but I can't breathe," she told him and he quickly let her go.

"So, what's up with this?" he gestured at her uniform.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "The courses sounded interesting and so I took one and next thing I know, I'm buying coffees and talking to every passing cop I meet who has a minute to spare. I signed on as soon as I could. I'm at Walford station," she told him. She gestured behind her. "That's PC Williams, he's showing me the ropes," she explained.

"Have you seen dad yet?" he asked her as he led her into the café.

"No, I've not really been looking forward to it," she admitted.

"I'm not surprised, though now he'll probably think he can get away with anything now that there's an officer in the family."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "There's that, too. I only have a minute, but I'm done at 6:00 if you want to get together later," she suggested, half question, half statement.

"Actually, Molly and I and our friends are going to go out tonight, you should come along. You know everyone anyway so it'll be like a reunion," he told her.

She thought a moment and then nodded slowly. "You're on. Meet you here when I'm done for the day."

She quickly gave him a hug and then smiled hugely before heading out.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Rowan glanced at the time and hurriedly finished putting the load of dishes she'd washed away and slung her apron on its hook.

"Be back," she told Syed and Trevor and hustled off to pick up the kids. She smiled as the twins immediately turned, dropped what they were doing and ran to her.

"Mama, I drawed for Dada," Claire announced.

"I'm sure he'll be very happy to see it," Rowan told her. She looked at Denis.

"How about you? Did you draw anything?" she asked him.

"He drawed one for Livvie," Claire said with a giggle and Rowan looked at her.

"Claire, let Denis answer for himself okay?"

Claire rolled her eyes and flounced away to collect her things. Rowan sighed and looked at Denis.

"Yes, I gave it to Liv," he answered.

"Did she like it?"

He nodded. She helped Olivia gather her things, making much of the drawings and then carried Olivia to the car with Claire and Denis close at her heels. She got them loaded up and then headed back to the restaurant. She hustled them in the side entrance and up to the flat. She knew how rowdy they could get once they got home. She put Olivia in the high chair and made the twins sit still while she got them all a snack and then called down to the restaurant to let them know she was back and upstairs with the kids.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Whitney sighed with relief when she was finally able to close up shop for the day. She hurried upstairs and chose out some outfits for herself and Lauren and then quickly got ready for going out.

"Yoooohoooo!" Lauren called as she bounded up the stairs.

"Hey, catch," Whit said and tossed the dress at Lauren as she came through the door.

"Oh, epic, you finished it!" Lauren exclaimed and dumped her things on one of the two recliners in the front room and went to try it on. "How do I look?"

"Amazing, of course," Whitney replied and grinned.

"Any idea where we're going?"

"Nope, we can ask Peter when we get to the café," Whitney answered with a shake of her head.

"He said he had a surprise for us tonight," Lauren said.

"Huh, didn't know anything about that," Whitney remarked and pulled the door shut behind her. "What do you suppose it is?"

Lauren shrugged. "You think maybe Molls is pregnant?"

Whitney thought it over. "That would be a reason to celebrate."

"Yes, it would," Lauren agreed and hastened her pace.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Fatboy looked down at his phone and grinned

"DEFFO!"

He smiled as he dropped his phone behind the counter and looked up at a customer to serve them. He waved them off with a cheeky smile and grabbed up his phone again as he glanced around to make sure that the Chippy was empty. He smiled and sent off a text to Mercy.

"P-Dog says Night out. You up for it? x"

Mercy smiled down at her phone and sent one back. "Sure x"

Fats grinned and dropped his phone again. The Gang was going out on the town. He couldn't wait, it had been too long since they'd all gone out together as a group.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Ray packed up his stuff and grabbed his jacket as he looked at the time. He grinned as he rose from his desk and stretched, groaning slightly as he did so. He sighed as he trudged down the corridor and poked his head around the door to the open office.

"Oi! Mrs. DS Skelton," he said.

Shaz looked up, and smiled at Ray. "That time already huh?" she smiled as she shut down her computer and headed over to Chris.

"My turn to get Olivia from Rowan's, we'll see you when you get home," she smiled at him as she kissed him.

"Oi, get a move on Shazza!" Ray growled out.

"All right, Mr Grumpy Pants," she snapped back as she stood and ruffled Chris' hair affectionately as she moved past his desk to follow Ray out.

Chris nodded and swiped ineffectively at Shaz' hand before tossing her the car keys. At least she'd said please this time.

"I'll get tea on then shall I?" he teased and grinned at her as she left. He quickly put away his paper work and then half-ran home so he could get things started. He wasn't a good cook, but he could at least get things ready for Shaz, who was.

Ray looked up at Shaz as she got into her car and he frowned at her. "What's that look for?" he asked as she started up the car and pulled away from the Station. Shaz merely smirked.

"You called me Shazza," she said simply as she put her seatbelt on and focused on the road, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Ray scowled at her, mentally cursing himself, he shrugged nonchalantly "So?" he sniffed.

"You never call me Shazza, Ray," Shaz replied. "Proves what you keep denying, you actually like me, no matter how much you try to dispute it," she said.

Shaz pulled up outside the Restaurant and Ray got out of the car. He left Shaz to it as he hurried upstairs and kicked his shoes off once he got into the flat. "HEY!" he called out and headed into the kitchen, taking note of Olivia in the high chair and he smiled at Rowan as he went over and dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

Shaz followed Ray up and smiled as Ray made a beeline for Rowan, she headed over to the high chair and stroked her hand over Olivia's head. "How was nursery?" she asked as she bent to Olivia's level "Have you been good for Rowan?" she asked and Olivia nodded hastily.

Rowan smiled and kissed Ray back and then her brow furrowed as she noticed his empty hands.

"Where are the pizzas?" she asked him and heard two huffs of indignation behind her and glanced to the side a bit to see the twins' gazes both focused on their father. Claire's arms were crossed and her face was a storm. Denis simply looked put out. Rowan tilted her head and looked at Ray again before looking over at Shaz.

"They've been behaving very well since they got home. So much so that I took them down for a snack in the restaurant," Rowan told Shaz.

"He didn't even ask if you'd stop so he could pick up the pizzas, did he?" she asked, knowing Ray would attempt to blame Shaz.

"Oh ffff..." he trailed off as he heard the two angry noises behind him, he turned and smiled bashfully at the twins "...fffirst," he remedied quickly. "I decided to come home and see if any of you lot wanted to come with me to help carry home the pizza?" he offered and gave Rowan an apologetic look. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Sorry," he whispered into her ear and then turned back to the twins.

"Which one of you is coming with me, or are you both staying here with your Mam?" he asked.

Shaz rolled her eyes at Rowan as she lifted Olivia out of the high chair and into her arms. "He didn't mention anything about pizza," she said quietly to Rowan and then chuckled at the sight of Ray practically pleading. She felt Olivia tug gently on her hair and smiled "How about we go home and see Daddy?". Shaz smiled at Olivia's eager nod and looked back over at Rowan.

"Thanks, Ro," she grinned. "Text me what time you're coming over for our Sci-Fi marathon," she added as she grabbed up Claire's bag.

Ray waved briefly at Shaz and Olivia then looked back at the twins, standing up to his full height "Well, which one of you two little troublemakers want's to come and help your poor Dad with these pizzas?" he asked with another apologetic glance over at Rowan.

Claire's piercing shriek as the little girl thrust her hand in the air made Rowan wince.

"Yeah," Rowan said to Shaz. "I didn't think he had. I will, I'm thinking a couple of hours."

Rowan looked at Ray again as he repeated his question. Claire squealed again and began to bounce in her chair. Denis solemnly raised his hand, too.

"Me will," he said simply, showing far more decorum than his sister.

Rowan leaned back to check they still had their shoes on and nodded at Ray. "Shoes are on," she told him and walked up to him. "They better not be cold, mister," she warned him and poked him in the chest with her finger before turning to gather the crayons up from the table and put them back in their plastic container.

Ray gave Rowan another bashful smile before ushering his children out the door, grabbing his shoes and slipping them on as he went. He got the twins into the car and made sure they were both strapped in safely before driving along to the pizza take out.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Whitney and Lauren bounded into the café and grinned at Peter.

"Are we ready?" Whitney asked excitedly.

Peter nodded.

"Yeah, I'm almost done. We're all meeting up with Molly at R&R," he told them.

"So, what's this big surprise?" Lauren asked in a wheedling tone.

"You'll find out when we get to the club," he replied and turned to finish washing up.

Whitney groaned in annoyance, but said nothing. She leaned against the counter near the door with Lauren and waited for Peter to finish so they could leave. Once he was done, they followed him to the club and went to the bar to get drinks while Peter went to the office to see Molly.

"We're here," he told her as he peered around the door.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Lucy took a deep breath and went into the club. She spotted all but Peter at the bar. It was so weird to see them now. She took another breath and walked over to the group. She stopped and folded her arms.

"So, who's going to buy me a welcome back drink?" she asked and waited.

Whitney and Lauren both turned and Lauren gasped.

"Oh, my god, Lucy!" she cried.

"That's me," Lucy replied and chuckled when Lauren hugged her.

"You came back."

"I finally did, yes. Sort of expected, isn't it?"

"It's good to see you," Whitney said and then turned to order Lucy a drink.

"So, what have you been doing these past few years?"

"Well, lazed about for a while, then grew up a little bit and decided to do something with my life. Went to Uni for awhile and stumbled on some criminal justice courses, and when I finished, I signed on."

Lauren gaped at her and then burst into laughter. Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Molly smiled at Peter as she looked up and then stood up from her seat behind the desk. She grabbed the files and locked them in the cabinet before moving out and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Took you long enough," she teased as she kissed him and let go.

Peter made a raspberry at her and backed up teasingly when she came to kiss him before kissing her back.

Molly shut the door to the office and locked it behind her before moving over to the bar and placing the keys behind the counter. She stepped back out and smiled as she made her way over to Whitney and Lauren. "Heya," she grinned as she ordered herself a drink.

"I should tell you…" he trailed off though as she headed off towards Whitney and Lauren. He'd wanted to warn her about Lucy, although all that unpleasantness had been years ago, really.

"Hey, Molls," Whitney greeted as Lauren kept talking to Lucy. "Did everything go all right?"

Peter ordered a drink and watched Lauren and Lucy talk with Fatboy and Mercy. He just hoped Molly wouldn't overreact. Surely, it was unnecessary after all this time to hold a grudge…at least he hoped so.

Molly smiled at Whitney and nodded. "Just stress, nothing to worry about at all," she said with a content smile as she sipped her drink. She looked at Lauren and frowned as she noticed the blonde haired girl that she was talking to. She looked familiar.

"Whit, who is.." Molly trailed off as she caught a look at the blonde girls face in full and recognised her. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she turned back to Whitney.

"That's never Lucy!" she said quietly as she sneaked another look.

Whitney gave a small giggle and nodded. "It is," she replied and then leaned over. "She's a PC trainee with the Walford police," Whitney whispered, wondering what Molly might make of that.

Molly's eyebrows flew up, she nodded slowly as she looked at Lucy. A police officer? With her parents. She looked her over, her only experience of Lucy Beale was of her being a slapper and a bitch. She looked around for Peter and sighed softly. From her experience with Lucy, the girl didn't like her. But that had been years ago. She twirled her glass thoughtfully.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

"ARTHUR!"

Mercy tapped her foot impatiently, she'd been ready for at least 10 minutes and he was still fussing around. She swore he took longer than her to get ready, no matter how much they argued over it, this proved it.

Fatboy finally sauntered down the stairs and grinned at her. "Come on, then, I'm ready."

Mercy rolled her eyes as she took his hand and practically yanked him out of the house.

Fatboy spotted their little crew instantly and made his way over, pulling Mercy with him.

"How goes it ladies..!" he drawled out, his cocky grin making an appearance. Mercy shook her head with a smile then spotted Lucy.

"Lucy! When did you get back?" she smiled as she gave her a quick hug.

Lucy had opened her mouth to say something else when she heard Fatboy. She hugged him back and chuckled.

"Yesterday, but I was busy so today is the first day I've been back on the Square," she replied blithely. Not a complete lie. "I had to start my job today, so, you know, here I am," she shrugged.

Lauren snorted and gave a low chuckle. "Yeah, she's a cop."

Lucy grinned at Fatboy at Lauren's pronouncement.

Fatboy frowned, a look of admiration and shock on his face.

"You're a cop?" he choked out, that may not be such a good thing. He got up to enough illegal things that his mates knew about, he hoped Lucy wouldn't rat him out to all her new police friends. He gulped anxiously and plastered his grin back over his face.

Lucy made a face at Fatboy. "You make that sound like a bad thing," she teased and grinned at Mercy.

Mercy grinned back at Lucy while Fatboy shuffled anxiously. "No...I mean, it's..." he failed to say.

Lauren snickered at Fatboy's discomfiture and got herself another drink and handed one to Mercy.

"Yeah, well, Mercy made an honest Fatboy out of him so I guess a rebel like you becoming a cop is a bit of a shock," Lauren joked. "Course, I have a sort of boring job doing admin for a law firm over off the High Street. Whit's the glamorous one, she's designing clothes, has her own shop and everything."

Lucy's eyebrows went up and she made an impressed face at Whitney who was talking with a familiar looking girl. She glanced at Peter and then back at the girl. So, Peter's girlfriend. She pondered for a moment. It couldn't be that same girl she'd had a dust up with years ago at the school party was it? If so, she was impressed. He'd never had a girlfriend for so long. She edged a bit closer to where Whitney and the girl were talking.

"So, how are things?" she asked. Normally she would just say something to the girl, introduce herself, but she'd learned to moderate her behavior a bit. She'd let the girl say something first, just in case the girl didn't remember Lucy. Lucy couldn't remember the girl's name. She had been pretty drunk though, if her hangover the next day, which she _could_ remember, was anything to go by.

"Good," Whitney replied. "Be right back," she said and walked away from the bar, threading her way through the dancers towards the bathroom, leaving Molly and Lucy on their own. Surely nothing would kick off, and Peter was right there.

/\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Molly looked up at Lucy Beale as she came over and eyed the other girl warily. She glanced over at Peter, why did he look so nervous? Was Lucy likely to kick off? She narrowed her eyes slightly, but then smoothed out her features almost instantly.

"Lucy, right?" she asked though she already knew. "Whit told me you've joined the Police force?" she said questioningly, she supposed she should start a conversation especially seeing as Peter was watching them like a hawk.

Peter watched Whitney walk away and then focused in on Molly and his sister. He really hoped they would get along.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, and you're Molly. Looks like you've put up with my brother for a long time," she said and shot Peter a teasing smile. "Yes, I did. DSI Hunt was very nice. Gave me a tour of the station and everything today for my first day," she shrugged. "I think it's surprised most people, but I guess shocking people is still what I do best."

She took the glass of wine Lauren passed her and took a sip.

"So, when are you going to do the right thing and marry her, Petey?" she asked her brother and Peter rolled his eyes.

"We're saving up," he replied. "We're engaged though," he told her smugly and gestured at Molly's proper engagement ring he'd managed to finally get her a few months ago.

"Nice one," Lucy commented.

Molly smiled at Lucy "What did you think of DSI Hunt?" she asked curiously, she knew what Gene was like to live with but had no idea what he would be like to work with. Her Mum didn't give much away about that and Molly was pretty sure that Alex got away with quite a lot thanks to having her husband as her boss.

Lucy shrugged. "He seemed all right. Asked a lot of questions about things to do with police work. He's of a mind for me to look into criminal psychology."

She smiled up at Peter as he came over and looked down at her ring.

She glanced back up at Lucy "What about you?" she asked curiously "Are you with anybody?" she asked.

She took another sip of her drink. Lucy's eyes widened at Molly's question and she quickly swallowed her mouthful of wine and shook her head.

"No, I just can't be bothered with that right now," she replied and glanced over at the dance floor. "However, I think it's time to dance," she said and put her glass down on the bar and went to join Lauren and Whitney.

Peter watched Lucy head onto the dance floor and looked at Molly and slid an arm around her shoulders.

"I really worried you two would kick off," he told her in her ear so she would hear him over the music. "Let's go dance," he said and grabbed her hand to drag her over to the others.


	2. Chapter 2

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 2**

Shaz dropped Olivia gently on the sofa once they got in and smiled as she went over to Chris.

"So, what am I cooking?" she asked with a smile.

"Heya, ummmm, well, I found some of the meatballs you made last time in the freezer and some spaghetti," he said hopefully. "I put the water on to boil and the meatballs are defrosted," he added then flashed her a crooked grin before going into the front room and scooping up his daughter.

"How's my girl?" he asked her and gave her a squeeze before sitting on the couch to cuddle Olivia. "Shall we watch some tele while she cooks our tea?" he asked and began to channel surf when she nodded.

Shaz smiled at the sight of Chris and Olivia all cuddled up together and then looked at the hob. She smiled and sighed simultaneously as she set about fixing them all something to eat.

Shaz set the plates out on the table and looked back over at Chris and Olivia. She moved over to the sofa and tapped the pair of them on their heads. "Come on, tea's ready," she smiled as she reached down and picked Olivia out of Chris' arms.

"Now, juice?" she asked as she went over to the fridge and opened it up. She held Olivia as the girl looking the fridge and smiled once she pointed.

"Apple? You sure?" she asked and Olivia nodded. Shaz smiled. "Okay, then," she said as she settled Olivia in the high chair and poured her a glass. "There," she said and reached over to grab a couple of beers from the fridge. She passed one to Chris and tipped hers into a glass of lemonade as she sat down.

"Hurray," Chris said and got Olivia to clap with him before Shaz picked the girl up.

He sat down and looked greedily at the plate.

"Ta, love," he said as he took the beer from her and cracked it open.

"So, did you meet the new PC?" he asked her.

Shaz shook her head. "I didn't meet her but I spotted her heading out on the beat," she said before beginning to eat.

"Lucy Beale right?" she asked. "You meet her?" she added as she looked up at him, glancing over briefly to see how Olivia was coping with the spaghetti.

Chris shook his head.

"Not really. She's training with Williams, though and I think I heard the Guv saying something about her working with Alex a bit, you know with all that stuff Alex does," he shrugged.

Shaz nodded. "I heard something about that, too," she smiled. "It'll be good for Alex to have someone to pass on all her stuff to, I think she'll love it," she said as she looked back at Olivia to make sure she wasn't getting too much food down her.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Ray held their hands as he took them into the take out and sat them on one of the plastic chairs as he went up to the counter.

"Pizza not be cold," Claire reminded her father as she stood on the plastic chair and began to bounce on her heels. Denis looked at her and muttered something only she could hear. She frowned at him, but meekly sat and began to swing her legs, trying to tap her father's leg with her feet.

Ray looked around at Claire and smiled at the cheeky look on her face and the calm look on Denis'. He grinned at the pair of them and lifted his leg to gently tap Claire's feet back while he was waiting for the pizza.

Claire giggled and shot Denis a smug look.

Ray grabbed up the pizzas with a grin and took the twins back to the car.

"Right," he said as he climbed back in after making sure they had their seatbelts on. "We have pizza so your Mam isn't going to kill me, how about some music on the way back?" he asked as he grabbed a load of CD's and skimmed through them.

"Which one d'you fancy?" he asked as he looked into the back of the car at the pair of them.

"You sing," Claire insisted and Denis nodded.

"Please," he said.

Ray looked at them and put the CD's back down. He smiled at them and searched in his head for a song. He picked a nursery rhyme and turned back to the road, singing the rhyme as he drove back to the flat.

Claire sighed at her father's choice of song and looked at Denis.

"Dontcha know any good songs?" Claire couldn't help but ask. "We're not babies," she huffed.

Ray chuckled lightly and glanced over the seat at them behind him as they reached a junction. "Nursery rhymes are not for babies," he frowned at Claire. "I'm not a baby and I still like nursery rhymes," he told her grumpily. "There's nothing wrong with them!" he told her as he turned back to face the road, glancing up at the traffic lights. He drummed his hand on the steering wheel and sighed heavily.

"What would you like me to sing then if you're suddenly too good for nursery rhymes?" he asked them.

"We were listesening t' 'Friday' in nursery, thass a good one," Claire replied tartly. "Is like this," she said and began to dance in her seat as she started to sing the song. Denis grinned and began to clap along and bob his head.

Ray's eyes widened at Claire's choice of song and his hand flew to the radio, he was not going to be listening to that 'song'. Shaz had gone through a stage at work of singing it and he was sick of it, he'd never been more glad to have a separate office to the others, though he had still been able to hear her singing it out.

Ray made sure that the radio was drowning out Claire's singing and wished that she had better taste in music.

Claire frowned as her father turned the radio up loud. She stopped singing and glanced over at Denis before sighing and looking at her feet.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan hurriedly got the kitchen tidied up and then went to look at the schedule for the weekend so she could text Shaz a time.

"I will be done by 6:30 on Friday, so can be there by 7:30," she finally texted and then went to get paper plates from the cupboard, glad it hadn't taken a couple hours to get back to Shaz with a time.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Jack quickly put the finishing touches on the dinner and made sure the table looked just so. He wasn't bribing her into keeping the baby, he told himself, but she did deserve a bit of pampering. He had to make sure she knew he supported her, no matter what.

He checked the clock and quickly lit the candles and then waited impatiently next to the table for her to get home.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Ray grabbed up the pizzas and helped the twins out of the car and ushered them into the Restaurant and up the stairs in front of him. He opened the door for them and made sure they sat down to take their shoes off as he took the pizzas to the kitchen and put them on the table. He smiled at Rowan.

"Pizza, hot, as ordered," he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sorry I forgot them the first time, Ro," he apologised to her.

"I should hope so," Rowan said in a mock huff and then gestured the twins to go wash their hands.

Rowan opened the boxes and put slices of pizza on the twins' plates. Denis would only eat pepperoni and Claire would eat whatever kind of pizza her father had. She put a pitcher of iced tea on the table, making sure to fill the twins' cups for them and then handed Ray a beer.

"So, we'll be going to Shaz' at around 7:30 on Friday," she told him as she dropped onto her chair and picked up a slice of pepperoni and began to pick the pepperoni off and eat it a piece at a time.

Denis and Claire clamored back to the table and climbed into their seats to start on their food. Rowan had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as Denis started trying to eat his pizza as fast as he could and Claire began to pick off the topping and each piece one at a time. She glanced at Ray and then back at her plate.

Ray watched the twins begin to eat curiously. He chuckled lightly and shook his head as he looked back at Rowan and nodded. "Sure," he nodded. "I'll drop you guys off and grab Chris and we'll go down the pub for a bit," he told her as he ate down his pizza, he sighed at the sight of Denis wolfing down his food as if it was going to be snatched away from him.

"Denis, mate, slow down," he smiled at him. "You're gonna choke," he chuckled.

Denis turned his big blue eyes on his father and let the pizza fall to the plate. "I fine," he argued. "Not choke."

He picked up his glass of juice and took a drink.

Rowan bit back a laugh. "Where have I heard that phrase before?" she mocked at Ray and gave him a look. Like father, like son.

Ray raised his eyebrows at Denis and smiled slightly at his son before looking over at Rowan. He frowned at her.

"I have no idea," he said with a small wink.

"I singded for Dada in the car," Claire piped up, "but he turn on the radio way loud," she added and went back to picking the toppings off her pizza.

Rowan looked at Ray and shook her head with a sigh. "I'm sure your singing was lovely, sweetie," Rowan told her. "What did you sing?"

"Friday," Claire told her.

"Ah," Rowan nodded and rolled her lips under her teeth to keep from laughing, though it was still no excuse. She was sure Claire couldn't be nearly as bad a singer as she herself was.

"Claire sings pretty," Denis informed them and went back to his pizza.

"I did say, I'm sure you do," Rowan assured her. "Daddy just doesn't like that song."

Ray grumbled under his breath as Claire started talking about singing in the car, he looked up at Rowan and saw the laughter written all over her face. He picked another slice of pizza and took a large bite of it, that song was horrible and he hated it.

"So," he said, changing the subject "What happened at Nursery today?" he asked the twins as he looked over at them.

"We had paints and got stories and music," Claire replied.

Rowan gestured at the fridge where she'd hung their drawings, except the one Denis had made Olivia that had gone with Shaz.

Ray smiled at them as he glanced over at the fridge. He looked back at his children and smiled broadly at them.

"Those are the best looking drawing's that I've ever seen," he told them with an honest smile.

"You both had fun then?" he asked them as he finished his pizza and pushed his plate away and picked up his beer.

The twins nodded and beamed before finishing their food.

Rowan got up when the twins finished eating and made sure their hands and faces were clean before letting them go play. She gathered up the paper plates, tossed them in the bin and then sighed as she turned to lean back against the counter. She folded her arms and looked at Ray.

"I've been thinking," she began. "That we do something about the attic. That bedroom is really a bit too small for the twins. I'd have to look again, but I think there's enough space up there to make two bedrooms," she said as she made a gesture over her head with her hand. "And this way your mother won't feel guilty taking the twins' room when she comes to visit. Not that they mind the whole 'camping in the front room experience.'"

Ray rested his elbows on the table and nodded at her. "Sure, I'll look into building contractors, get a quote," he said agreeably as he drained the beer from the can. He studied her as he put the can back down on the table and then took her hand and pulled her to sit on his lap, his arm wrapped gently around her middle.

She let him pull her onto his lap and put her arms around his neck and then sighed at his question.

"Why do we need builders?" Rowan wanted to know. "It's sound enough up there. We just need to put up say...one wall really," she said.

Ray nodded. "I know that Ro, but I'd prefer a builder to take a look first and make sure the whole thing isn't going to fall down when we start tampering with it," he said to her with a small shrug.

"Ro," he said softly. "Are you still sure about what you said before," he asked her, hope colouring his tone. "About marriage?" he asked.

"Ray, why? I don't need some piece of paper showing how I feel about you..." she broke off and looked at him. "I know I don't talk about things much," she began hesitantly, "but if you need a ceremony, then what if we handfast? It's like a wedding," she suggested. She didn't really talk about her beliefs much with Ray. He seemed to accept what he did know and didn't seem to worry overmuch about it.

Ray sighed heavily at her words, but his interest piqued slightly, he tilted his head as he looked at her.

"What's Handfasting?" he asked curiously.

Rowan shrugged. "Okay. Shame JT's not here, he could do it."

Rowan closed her eyes at Ray's heavy sigh and was relieved when he asked about handfasting. She explained it to him. Would it be enough for him?

"There's only one thing, I don't know anyone here who can do it," she told Ray. "But acuisle, you have to understand, not wanting to get married has nothing to do with you. I just...I just can't do it again. It doesn't mean I don't love you or that I'm not committed to you, because I am. You and the twins are my life, Ray. I've never, ever met anyone who makes me feel the way you do."

She stood up and then sat back down so that she was straddling his lap. She wound her arms back around his neck and rested her gaze on his.

"I don't need you to marry me to prove you love me. I see it every time you look at me, feel it every time you touch me," she told him softly and put a hand on his cheek. "It's all I need."

She pulled his face close to hers and kissed him softly.

"Ewwwwwwwww!" the twins chimed together. "Don wanna biscuit now," said Claire, but Denis frowned. "I do."

Rowan broke off the kiss and put her forehead against Ray's and chuckled.

"Apparently it's biscuit time," she muttered and got off Ray's lap and got the biscuit jar out of the cupboard and let each twin have two.

"Don't get chocolate everywhere," she cautioned as they ran back to their room. She carried the jar over to Ray and held it out to him.

Ray sighed as the twins brought him off his cloud and looked down at them. He chuckled at the pair of them and pulled a face before they ran off.

Ray looked up and shook his head as Rowan offered the biscuits to him. "No, thanks," he said quietly.

He had a lot to think about now, she wouldn't marry him: she would handfast with him? He was going to have to think this through. He didn't see why they could do both if she wanted to handfast. They could get married and handfast if that's what she wanted; but she wouldn't marry him.

At first he had believed that she wouldn't marry him because she didn't love him enough to be tied to him for the rest of her life: now he understood differently. He was trying to accept it, struggling, but trying nonetheless. Handfasting? It sounded a little similar. He'd have to think this through.

Rowan's eyebrows went up in surprise at Ray refusing biscuits. She set the jar gently on the table and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked him softly. He was acting so strange lately; she just couldn't figure him out. Obsessing over this whole marriage thing. A far cry from how long it had taken him to say he loved her and waffled about moving in together. She watched him steadily for a few minutes, trying to work out what he was thinking.

"Hmmmm?" Ray hummed back as he pulled his gaze back to her face, he smiled at her and nodded. "Fine," he said softly to her. "I'm fine," he added as he reached up and took her hand from his shoulder and pressed a kiss to it.

He glanced over at the twins' bedroom and then over at the TV, he chuckled and tugged on her hand. "C'mon," he told her as he let go of her and went to stretch out in front of the tele, he took his can with him as he settled himself and grabbed at the remote.

Rowan nodded and went with him and curled up next to him on the couch, keeping an eye on the time. It would be bedtime for the twins soon.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Alyssa toyed with her phone as she walked home. The surgery wasn't far, and she knew that she could get herself sorted there. She bit her lip as she neared the house and sighed as she pulled her keys out and opened the door.

"Jack?" she called out as she dumped her stuff next to the sideboard and ran her hands through her hair wearily. She really wanted to curl up in bed with him. She sighed as she shut the door with her foot and ran her hand over her belly once more. She pushed the thoughts away firmly, she didn't want to think about it constantly though it was difficult to block out.

She glanced in the front room and then made her way into the kitchen, a small frown creased her brow as she took in the scene and she rested her gaze on him "Jack?" she asked curiosity.

Jack's mouth curved into a smile and he walked over and put his arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

"I thought you deserved a bit of a treat," he told her and pulled her chair out for her to sit. He poured her a glass of wine and then began to dish up the food. He bent over and kissed her cheek. "Because I love you," he whispered.

Alyssa took the seat and looked up at him, her surprise evident as she took the glass of wine and watched him dish up the food. "Treat..." she repeated. She took a larger sip of the wine and smiled at him with a small sigh.

"Thank you," she said softly as he put the plates on the table. "I love you, too," she added.

Jack ate silently for a few minutes and then looked at Alyssa.

"So, let me know what you decide. I'll go with you if you want me to, like I said. I'm here for you, Lyss, whatever you decide."

Alyssa looked up from her food to gaze at him as he spoke. She nodded slowly at him as she pushed her food around her plate. "I know," she said softly.

"I think I'm going to call the surgery tomorrow and make an appointment with Doctor Bond," she said to him as she dropped her gaze back to her plate for a moment and then looked back up at him.

Jack nodded and reached across the table for her hand and squeezed it. He had had the tiniest spark of hope she might change her mind. But he would make sure she never knew. 

Alyssa smiled at him and squeezed his hand back. She couldn't help but feel relieved that he didn't seem to mind that she wanted to get rid of it. She had worried a lot about that once she found out that she was pregnant, sure he knew she didn't want kids but they'd never actually been in a position where she could have them. She felt herself relax in her seat and finished off her food. She let go of his hand and picked up her glass of wine and sipped it slowly as she watched him eat.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Whitney made her way back to the bar and got herself another drink. She saw Molly and Lucy seemed to be talking and not fighting and took a quick gulp of her drink before grabbing Lauren's arm and dragging her onto the dance floor.

"Alright?" Whitney said over the music.

Lauren shook her head and leaned over to Whitney. "Have you noticed none of us seem to be getting married?" she asked and Whitney frowned.

"Peter and Molly…." she began.

"Have been engaged for ages and still haven't named a day," Lauren finished for her. "Those two don't plan on getting married anytime soon and you and I are still single."

"Fats and Mercy," Whitney shot back.

"That was sort of necessary," Lauren reminded.

"Point," Whitney conceded and thought about it. Lauren did seem right. Whitney didn't mind being single. She'd not even dated since breaking up with Brett over two years ago. She had wanted to focus on her school and her career, men just complicated things when she needed them to be simple.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly's eyes widened. Criminal Psychology? That's what her Mum did. No doubt Lucy would be her Mum's protege or something then. Molly couldn't help the frown that covered her face, she wasn't sure what she thought of Lucy Beale. The first time they'd met Lucy had been a right bitch and Molly had hated her, she'd now gone all those years feeling the same way about her, and now here she was in front her being as pleasant as you like. Molly was confused but went along with it regardless.

She smiled softly as Lucy dashed away towards Lauren and Whitney and shook her head slightly, as she grabbed her glass again and sipped her drink.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Whitney caught her breath as the song finished and headed for the bar to get a drink. She glanced over at her friends dancing. It was weird to see Lucy back. She thought they might get along better now. She drained her glass of water and threaded her way back through the people to her friends.

"So, there's this fashion do in a couple weeks, any chance you could do me a favor?" Whitney asked Lauren and Molly between songs. "I need a couple of female models."

Molly looked up at Whitney and nodded eagerly. "Sure, whatever you need," she smiled.

"Me too, I'll help," Lauren agreed and grinned at Molly.

"Great, now I just need to find a good male one and I'm set. Is Saturday good so I can get you all pinned up in fabric?" 

Molly nodded. "Saturday's fine," she smiled back. "Do we get to know what this is for?" she asked curiously.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Bolton leant against the bar and sipped his drink as he looked around him. The last time he had been in this club was for the school disco that Jack Rimmer had invited them to while they were in London. This was the place where he had met Whitney. He sighed, he hadn't seen her since the glimpse he had got of her getting into a taxi earlier, he certainly hadn't seen her around Walford.

Bolton downed the rest of his drink and looked around again, he frowned slightly, he was pretty sure that that girl over there was Whitney's mate, Molly. He smiled, surely she would know where to find Whitney. He leant off the bar and made his way over. Bolton frowned at the dark-haired girl talking to Molly and smiled broadly as her head turned and he caught a glimpse of her face. Whitney. He went over and rested his arm jokily on her shoulder and pretended to use her as an arm rest.

"So, long time, no see," he grinned down at her.

"Yeah, remember I told you about that show thing I was trying to get into? Well, I got in. So, I just need some mates to model the outfits I'm making for it and I'm sorted. This could really do things for the shop," she told them.

"Maybe you can help me pick out the music, too," she offered.

Molly nodded eagerly. "Sure, Whit," she agreed excitedly. "Whatever you need!"

Whitney broke off and her eyes widened. She turned her head and looked.

"Bolton?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

She couldn't believe it was him. She still regretted that he'd never got back in touch with her all those years ago after the party. She really thought he'd liked her.

She cleared her throat and glanced at Molly and Lauren.

"So, how are you?" she asked.

Bolton smiled down at her. "Good, ta," he grinned. "Just moved into the area, got myself a job and I need someone to show me round, so I thought who do I know that lives round here," he grinned down at her. "And guess what?" he smiled. "I find you here in this very same club where we were the last time I was here," he chuckled and looked at the other two girls.

"Molly," he nodded at her.

Molly smiled back and subtly tugged on Lauren's arm to get her to move away with her, she figured that Whit wouldn't want an audience while she spoke to Bolton.

"You live here now?" she gasped in surprise. "How did that happen?"

She barely noticed Molly dragging Lauren away. She hated being so fascinated by Bolton; she'd tried so hard to forget him! But she found herself drawn to him all over again, all her doubts shoved to the back of her mind by his smile.

Bolton shrugged. "I went to Uni, sorted myself out with some qualifications and ended up here," he told her with a small smile.

"What about you? Why're you still round here?" he asked her curiously.

"Still, that's pretty weird, moving all the way here from Manchester," she remarked.

She smiled and shrugged. "Well, I went to school myself, fashion design, I've got my own shop now over off the High Street. No more stall for me."

Bolton shook his head. "Nah, there's more going on in London, " he told her. 

He grinned broadly at her. "Wow Whit! That's fantastic!" he told her and squeezed her shoulder gently. "How's that going for you?" he asked curiously.

"It's going good, yeah," Whitney told him with a smile. Whitney's brow furrowed.

She glanced down at her feet and then back up at Bolton.

"It's um...it's good to see you," she said. "So, where is it you're working?"

Bolton smiled at her and flicked his head. "You know that boxing place?" he asked. "I'm working as a trainer there," he smiled. "I'm hoping to get some DJ-ing going too, that didn't really happen for me up in Manchester, so I figured London would work better."

"You're working for Phil Mitchell? You want to watch out for him. He's a very unpleasant sort of person. Don't let him get you involved in anything illegal," Whitney warned him.

Bolton shrugged. "I'll be fine Whit, don't worry about me," he smiled at her. "I have no intentions of doing anything that I don't want to."

"Yeah, well, Phil Mitchell is no one to mess with," she told him. "So, be careful."

Bolton looked at her and nodded slowly. "Will be," he assured her.

"But..." Lauren began to protest as Molly dragged her away. She finally went willingly and looked at Molly as they went back to the bar. "Shouldn't we stay there, though?" she asked before ordering herself a drink. "I remember she was pretty gutted when he never really got back in touch with her after the party."

She glanced over at Whitney and Bolton, Whit already seemed gone on him again, then glanced over at Lucy who was dancing with Fatboy and Mercy.

"So, Lucy a cop, pretty weird, huh? I never would have predicted it. Wonder what her dad thinks."

Molly glanced over her shoulder to glance at Whitney; she didn't seem to have noticed that they'd left her alone with Bolton. She looked back at Lauren and shrugged. "I doubt she wants us hanging around while she talks to him, and I reckon us there would just make it a bit more awkward," she said.

Molly couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face as Lauren brought Ian into the conversation, she couldn't stand Peter's father. He was a self-absorbed, greedy, uncaring bastard. She couldn't understand how he had so little compassion, how he could just chuck his own son out of his home without so much as a thank you for looking after the businesses for him while he'd been gone all that time. She was still sore about it. So far her experiences with Peter's family had been less than pleasant.

"I doubt Lucy cares what Ian thinks of her," she said with another shrug. "If she's got any sense then she won't anyway," she added darkly and shook her head before taking a calming breath and looking back at Lauren apologetically. "Sorry, I just really cannot stand Ian Beale!" she mumbled.

"You're not the only one, Molls, I'm not sure I can name anyone who's happy Ian has come back. Except maybe Phil Mitchell and that's only because he brought Ben back with him."

She took a long drink of her wine and shook her head. "I doubt Lucy cares what her father thinks. She didn't before, why start now?" she added with a chuckle.

Molly smiled back. "Exactly," she said with a quick glance over at Peter.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Lucy yawned and looked at the time.

"I'm off. Have to get up early and be all lawful and whatnot," she said. She walked over to Lauren and Molly.

"I better get going now. I'm early in at work tomorrow," she told them.

Molly smiled at Lucy. "See you round," she said with a small wave.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene looked down at Sammy as the boy fell asleep and sighed. He needed to figure something out to help him. He couldn't stand the idea of his son being bullied.

He walked back into the front room. "I'm for bed. Lots of early meetings on tomorrow," he said to Alex. 

Alex looked up at him and nodded silently. She knew this whole bullying thing with Sam was really getting to Gene; he was supposedly macho and tough, she presumed that he thought Sammy would be that way too. He was more upset than he was going to let on.

She set her glass down as she listened to him rustling around in the bedroom and made sure the TV volume was down low so it wouldn't disturb Gene or Sammy. Alex pulled her legs up to her chest on the sofa as she gazed at the screen without really seeing what was on it. She sighed heavily as she rested her chin on her knees.

Molly had had a chat with Sammy about the bullies, she'd spoken to Sammy about it, she wasn't sure about Gene but he wasn't usually the talking kind.

Alex looked reproachfully at the wine glass as she unfolded herself and dumped the remaining wine into the sink. She dumped the glass in the sink and went to peep into Sam's room. His sleepy breathing made her sigh once more as she trailed to her room and crawled into bed next to Gene.

Whitney glanced over and saw Lucy leaving and looked at her watch. It was getting late. She looked at Bolton.

"It's getting late, I should get home," she said.

Bolton raised his eyebrow as he grabbed out his phone and looked at the time too. He drained his drink and looked at her.

"Want an escort?" he offered with a wink.

Whitney paused a moment and then finally nodded.

"Okay, you can walk me home," she replied flippantly and walked out of the club with him, barely giving Lauren a backward glance.

She pointed things out as they walked across the Square and headed in the direction of the High Street and otherwise made small talk.

"Well, that's me," she said and pointed out the shop. She led him to the door next to the shop door that led up to the flat.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said as she pulled her keys from her bag.

Bolton leant against the door-frame as he watched her dig for her keys.

"S'alright," he said. "Though I did have an ulterior motive," he admitted and then grinned. "It was the easiest way to find out where you lived," he said to her as he leant off the door and looked at the shop window. "Nice," he said thoughtfully as he looked it over.

Whitney pulled her keys out of her bag and smiled. "Thanks, I like it," she told him and then poked his arm.

"And so why would you want to know where I live?" she flirted.

Bolton raised his eyebrows at her and shrugged. "It's nice to know where I'm going when I come to pick you up," he told her with a grin.

"And why on earth would you be picking me up?" Whitney fired back tartly and waited with an expectant smile on her face.

"Well, you never know, I may ask you out," he shrugged nonchalantly as he smiled at her. "But of course, that's provided you agree," he half-asked.

"Ask me out? Really?" she said in mock-surprise. "Should I agree, hmmmm," she mused. "Not sure, I'd have to think about it," she said and tilted her head at him, a half-smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I suppose if you want to call me and ask me out sometime, I would certainly give such a request a great deal of consideration," she told him. "But now, I have to get some sleep so I can work tomorrow."

Bolton smiled up at her and nodded. "I can live with that," he said back.

"So, before you go and get some sleep, I don't suppose I could get a hug?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, all right," she said and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his shoulder. He was a lot more muscular than before, she noticed. She gave him a quick squeeze and then let him go.

"Good night," she said and turned and unlocked the door.

Rowan went back into the kitchen after making sure the twins were all tucked in. She walked up behind him and draped her arms over his shoulders and put her lips close to his ear.

"So, the twins are in bed, what do you say we head in that direction, too?" she asked and tugged his earlobe with her lips and pressed a kiss to his neck.

Ray twisted and looked at her with a small grin.

"Go on, then," he smirked at her.

He nodded as he lifted himself out of his seat and grabbed her hand as he led her to their room and shut the door behind them.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Lauren watched Whitney leave with Bolton and looked at Molly.

"Well, I wonder what's going to happen there," she remarked. In the almost year they'd shared the flat, neither one of them had ever brought a bloke back. "Wonder if I dare go home," she said in a jokey tone and made a face.

Molly laughed. "Just cover your ears and yell out that you're home as you go to your room, then plug yourself into your MP3 player," she suggested with a giggle.

Lauren shoved Molly's arm as she laughed at her suggestion.

"All the same, I think I'll wait a bit to go home, just in case," she giggled and got herself another drink.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan shoved her head back into the pillow and dug her fingers into Ray's shoulders as he pushed her closer to the edge. They barely managed once a week now, but the intensity of it when they did…

"Oh, Ray," she gasped out and moaned.

A shriek of "Mama!" from across the room made her eyes widen and she turned her head in time to see Denis launch himself at the bed and immediately begin pummeling at his father. Rowan pushed Ray aside, glad she still had her shirt on and grabbed Denis from Ray's back. Denis thrashed out, trying to kick at Ray and she quickly turned and wrapped him in her arms.

"Denis, no, stop," she told him as he kept flailing in her grasp.

"He hurting you," Denis wailed.

"No, he's not, I'm fine, I'm okay," she attempted to soothe. "We were just playing, wrestling, it's okay, look at me, look at me," she insisted and made Denis look her in the face. "See, I'm not hurt."

Denis sniffed and looked at her, not quite believing her and then flung himself against her.

"Shhhh," she soothed and patted his back, not noticing the glare Denis directed at his father over her shoulder.

"Daddy loves me, Denis, he wouldn't hurt me, ever," she told him.

"You sounded like you were hurting," he insisted.

"I'm not hurt," she repeated softly. "C'mon, let's get you back to bed," she told him and carefully got out of the bed, making sure the shirt was covering her and carried the crying boy back to his bed.

"What happen?" Claire demanded to know.

"Dada hurt Mama," Denis told her, his tone still hostile.

Rowan held up her hand. "No, Denis, you listen to me. He was not hurting me," she told him firmly. "Understand?"

Denis looked at her a moment and then finally and reluctantly nodded.

"Good boy," she said and kissed his cheek before tucking him back into bed. She did the same with Claire and then went back to the bedroom.

She closed the door and then looked at Ray.

"Why is it so hard for you to remember to lock the door?" she asked him in exasperation. She climbed back into bed with a sigh and scrubbed at her face with a sigh and then turned her head to look at Ray.

"I hope he didn't hurt you," she said. "He can hit pretty hard."

Ray watched Rowan take Denis away and rubbed at his arm where he had been punched as he flopped back onto the pillows. Bloody kids. He groaned aloud as he closed his eyes and listened to Denis' voice exclaimed that Ray had hurt Rowan. He sighed heavily as she came back and sat up in mock outrage.

"I get caught up in the moment," he protested.

Ray waited for her to get into bed then pulled her against him and brushed a kiss across her forehead.

"I'm fine, takes more than a few punches from a 3 year old to do me damage," he assured her. "But you can feel free to check me over for any bruises or hurty bits if it would put your mind to rest," he added with a slow grin.

"It was hardly that much of a moment," she snorted at him.

"It was a moment wasn't it," he snorted back.

She shook her head as she smiled indulgently at him. "You are insatiable," she said in mock disgust and lifted the covers and peered at him.

"You don't seem unduly injured, at least, the important bits still seem to be in working order," she observed and pressed close and slung her leg over his and smiled. "I think you better finish what you started. And yes, I locked the door," she told him and kissed him.

Ray slid his hands into her hair and then moved an arm around her to pull her closer as he sighed contentedly into the kiss. Ray rolled them so she was on her back again, he raised his head and grinned down at her

"Be quiet, otherwise Denis is going to think I'm hurting you again," he warned.

"He came in because the door was open and he wanted a glass of water. I wasn't being too loud," Rowan told him.

"Unlocked, not open," he mumbled back.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Alyssa sat in the Surgery, wringing her hands anxiously as she waited as patiently as she could for it to be her turn. She'd called the Surgery and made an appointment for today. She had caught glimpses of Jacks face every now and again, looking a little forlorn since she had told him she had made the appointment. She hadn't told him when it was though. She didn't want him to know when; she didn't want him with her while she did this.

Alyssa looked up sharply as the door opened and a man left scratching his head, her careful gaze was drawn to Doctor Bond as he called his next patient and she blew out a small relieved breath when it wasn't her. Now she was sitting here, on the verge of doing this, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Jack wanted children, no matter what he said she knew that he would like them. She was in a position to give him a child and she was about to get rid of it? How did that make sense?

Alyssa ran a hand over her stomach curiously as her brow creased in thought. She had been so determined to never have children, mainly because of her mother, but Jack didn't seem to think she'd be like that as a mother. He thought that she could do it. He believed in her. She chewed her lip and wrapped her arms around herself protectively, she couldn't do this. She stood, drawing questioning glances from the people around her and stalked towards the door quickly.

Alyssa half-ran home and shut the door with a quick snap behind her as she breathed heavily. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. There was a baby inside her, she couldn't just kill it! She sank to the floor, her back against the door and tipped her head back as she closed her eyes.

Lunchtime? No, she didn't think it was fair to have him distracted during the afternoon. After he finished work then? But could she wait that long. Today was her day off. He didn't get days off, not except bank holidays, summer holidays, weekends and Inset Days. Alyssa sighed as she pulled her legs closer and rested her chin on them. How would he react?

Alyssa pulled herself off the floor and made her way through to the kitchen. A baby. She shook her head slightly, her gaze was caught by a picture of her and Rowan on the mantelpiece in the front room. She needed someone to know, she couldn't tell Jack until he got home, but Rowan she could tell. She had to tell someone before she lost her marbles. She felt like she was going to burst.

Alyssa reached into her pocket and grabbed out her phone.

"You free for a chat today? x"

She snapped her phone shut and left it on the table as she fixed a coffee.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex cradled her son to her and stroked his hair soothingly as he cried. She rocked from side to side gently as she let him cry into her shoulder.

"Sammy," she said softly as she eased his head off her shoulder and turned his tear stained face to look at her. "We'll get this sorted sweetheart" she told him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Come on, dry your eyes," she said gently as she brushed at his cheeks. Sammy shook his head fiercely and pushed his head back to her shoulder as he clung to her. Alex sighed softly as she started rocking again. She frowned as she heard him mumble something into her shoulder and she pulled back a little

"What was that?" she asked him.

"Daddy," Sammy whispered to her and she nodded silently as she took him in her arms and stood. Alex carried him into the front room and scanned it for Gene. She half-smiled, half-sighed at the sight of him sitting in front of the TV; football. She went and sat down next to him and placed a hand on his arm before carefully lifting Sammy into his lap

"Hey, boy, you're missing the match," Gene said and handed Sammy his scarf. "Guess what I got us tickets to?" he said and pulled them from his pocket as he watched Sammy's eyes light up.

He grinned at Alex and turned his attention back to the screen after tucking the tickets back in his pocket.

Alex smiled as she saw the joy light Sammy's eyes and she smiled gratefully at Gene. She pressed a kiss to Sam's head and then to Gene's cheek as she left them to the match and moved to the kitchen. She stood against the counter and watched Gene and Sam for a moment before turning around to fix them some snacks.

Alex carried over the bowls of crisps, nuts and a glass of juice for Sam and a beer for Gene. She set them on the table and then settled herself on the other end of the sofa with her book. She was determined to finish it.

Gene knew Sammy had been crying again. It made him furious. His son shouldn't have to cry, his son shouldn't be being bullied. Alex didn't seem to be taking care of business, therefore, Gene decided he himself would sort it.

When the match had finished, Gene suggested they go to the park for a kickabout.

"You can come, too, I suppose," he added to Alex as an afterthought.

Alex raised her eyebrows at him. "You suppose..?" she repeated with a smile then looked down at Sam. "You, young man, shoes," she said to him and watched him run off then turned back to Gene with a small smile.

"I'll go find the football, shall I?" she asked him before turning and heading towards the coat cupboard.

"Ta, Alex," Gene said in a magnanimous tone and went to help Sammy with his shoes and then swung his son up on his shoulders. He carried Sammy outside and began walking towards the park. He put the boy down when they reached the park and shoved his hands in his pockets to see if Alex had followed them or not.

Alex heard the door shut and sighed as she dug in the cupboard for the football. She dragged it out and grabbed her book and slipped on her shoes before following them.

Alex smiled as she spotted Gene and Sammy in the park and threw the ball so that it ended up rolling across the grass towards Gene. She took up her book and settled herself against a tree to read and leave them to their game

Gene waved as he noticed Alex arriving at the park. He caught the ball and began to play with Sammy, conspiring with Sammy on occasion to kick the ball in her direction and distract her from her book.

Alex narrowed her eyes at the pair of them as they kicked the ball at her to deliberately wind her up. She finally got fed up with it and grabbed the ball as it sped towards her and put it between her back and the tree.

Sammy ran over, a frown on his face. "Gimme back the ball," he demanded.

Alex raised her eyebrows. "What's the magic word, Sammy?" she asked.

"Please, Mummy!" he said desperately as he tried to wriggle behind her to get the ball back. Alex caught him as she dropped her book and tipped him onto his back on the grass and began to tickle him. Sam shrieked with laughter and tried to push her off.

"Daddy!" he called out between his giggles as his attempts to escape were thwarted every time by Alex "Hel..." Sam gasped. "Help Dadddddyyyy," Sam laughed.

Gene shook his head at Alex's antics and walked over and put his hands in his pockets. He looked down at his wife and son and his eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me, is this lady bothering you, kid?" he asked.

Sam giggled as Alex tickled him relentlessly and looked up at his father helplessly.

"Daddy!" he laughed as he tried, and failed, to catch Alex's hands.

"Help" he shrieked out as he reached towards his father. Alex glanced up at Gene and stuck her tongue out at him as she kept on tickling her son while Sam's screeches for his father kept up.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Gene said and then reached down and grabbed Alex around her waist and lifted her up and carefully put her against the tree she'd been sitting against. He grabbed her hands and quickly snapped his cuffs on her and looked back at his son.

"I guess I'll just have to arrest this troublemaker for assault," he said and chuckled.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

"C'mon Ray," Rowan called as she helped the twins get their shoes on. "You won't get to eat if you don't hurry," she added and began to herd the twins downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast.

"Morning," Syed greeted them. "Is it Friday Family Breakfast?" he asked and grinned at the twins, who nodded.

Claire walked a bit closer to Syed and put her hands behind her back as she looked up at Syed coyly.

"Will you make my pancakes?" she asked him and batted her eyes at him.

"Claire," Rowan began to scold, but Syed held up his hand as Claire whipped her head around to her mother. "He puts faces on," she whined and Rowan threw up her hands.

"Then say please," she said instead and Claire looked back at Syed with a small smile.

"Please?" she added.

"Yes, I will," Syed told her and patted her on the head. Rowan grabbed Claire's hand and led her out of the kitchen and over to a table. She set the twins down and went to get them juice, tea for Ray and coffee for herself. James had stopped and was saying hello to the twins when Rowan walked back to the table.

"How was your day off?" Rowan asked.

"Good, how are you?" James replied.

"Dada hurt her," Denis said and Rowan gaped at her son.

"Denis, what did I tell you?" she gasped and he frowned and picked up his juice. She looked at James and shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"He walked in," she explained and gave James a look.

"Ahhh," James said and nodded before heading back to finish setting up tables.

Rowan sat down next to Denis. "I have asked you to stop saying that," she told him.

"Thorry," he muttered.

Rowan huffed out a breath and took a drink of her coffee, wishing Denis would keep his mouth shut. He could be worse than Claire sometimes.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray hurriedly shoved his feet into his socks and then stuffed them into his shoes. Apparently one little lie in was too much to ask for. He sighed, if it wasn't Rowan insisting he got up for work it was the twins waking him up on his days off to play with them. He muttered sleepily as he grabbed a jacket and headed downstairs.

Ray patted both Denis and Claire on the head as he moved past them and grabbed up his mug of tea. Caffeine. Sounded like a plan to him.

Ray gulped down half of his tea and then leant back in his chair with a sigh. He glanced around the kitchen and nodded at James and Syed. "Mornin," he said as his gaze then flew to Rowan, he glanced at her face then looked over at Denis

Ray sighed, he was still upset over walking in and thinking that Ray was attacking his Mam. It seemed no matter what they said to him he firmly believed that what he had seen had been right.

Rowan took another sip of her coffee and gave Ray a half-smile. Denis would get over it. In the meantime, the whole Square got to laugh behind their hands at them getting walked in on by their kid. The ones who had kids, however, seemed very sympathetic. Jack and Alyssa on the other hand…Rowan sighed. Jack couldn't seem to get over it.

She smiled up at James as he brought over their food and nodded when he asked if she wanted more coffee.

"More tea?" James asked Ray curtly and then went to get the pots. That man didn't really deserve such an amazing woman, James thought. And now it seemed he might be beating her. He admired her putting on a brave face, but she deserved better. James knew he would never hurt her. He loved her. She clearly didn't love that big Neanderthal she'd been with for so long. She hadn't married him, even though they had kids. He refilled their drinks and went back to the kitchen to get more table linen and tried to think how he could begin to woo Rowan away from Ray.

Ray glanced up at James and shook his head. "Not for me, ta" he said as he cradled his mug

Claire squealed in delight at her stack of pancakes. Syed had made a face, as promised. She proudly showed Ray.

Ray glanced at Claire's pancakes with as much enthusiasm as he could muster and smiled down at his daughter. He held back the laughter at her conversation with Denis and glanced over at Syed with a small chuckle.

"Syeeeed looooves me," she told him, "cause he makes me face cakes. I gonna marry him and then I get to have them alla time," she proudly informed her father and then began to pick off the pieces of fruit that made the face.

"I gotta face, too," Denis put in.

"Mine's better," Claire quickly stated and made a face at Denis.

Denis made a noise and began to eat his breakfast. "He won't marry you, he's already married."

Claire made a face back at Denis and threw a grape at him.

Rowan quickly looked away from the twins and took a bite of her eggs to keep from laughing.

"Stop that," she scolded when Claire threw the grape. Claire frowned, but ate the next grape she had planned to throw.

"Don't go getting too messy, Shaz will be here to pick you up for nursery. And you know the rules…." she trailed off with a warning tone.

"Brekkie at home next Friday," the twins chorused.

Ray grabbed his breakfast as it was set in front of him and tucked in immediately. Shaz would be here soon and then he would have to be at work. He was supposed to be in charge today as it was Alex and Gene's day off. Both were on call if something massive happened but he didn't like to bother them. They got little enough time at home together with Sam sine Gene got made DSI. He thought it only fair for them to get some time as a family.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan heard her phone beep and picked it up from where it sat on the table. She read Alyssa's text and her brow furrowed as she wondered what was up.

She quickly sent back. "Lull at 10am, come then x" she sent back and put the phone down and looked at Ray.

"Lyss wants a chat," she told him.

Ray looked up and shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Could be anything Ro, don't start getting worried about stuff," he told her as he reached over to squeeze her hand.

"I'm not getting worried, I'm just wondering," Rowan corrected. "Maybe they're going to the cottage again and want us to go along."

She gave him a smug look. They'd gone north with Jack and Alyssa many times and Rowan found herself always looking forward to the trips. She wished she and Ray could afford to do the same, but they just couldn't, especially if they were going to do up the attic.

"Don't forget tonight Shaz and I are watching our shows and you're going to the pub with Chris," she reminded him.

Rowan glanced at her watch.

"Okay, let's get you two cleaned up. Shaz will be here any second now," she told the twins and herded them towards the bathroom.

James went over and began to pick up the empty dishes from the table after watching Rowan go past.

Rowan came back with the kids and had them sit back down to wait for Shaz. She got ready to sit back in her chair, and then looked at Ray and chuckled. She picked up his napkin and wiped at some brown sauce next to his mouth.

"You're as bad as the kids," she softly teased him and then kissed him softly.

"Maybe."

Ray shrugged and then caught the look on her face. He grinned back, he had to admit, that place up North where Jack and Lyss took them was pretty special. It had been fairly close to Manchester, too, so whenever they went up they took a detour to Maggie's house so that she could see them and the twins.

"I know that," he told her. "How could I possibly forget!" he added with a grin. "I get rid of you and the terrible twosome for a few hours to spend some time with my best mate, beer, darts, banter," he grinned at her and winked.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

"So, what's on for tonight?" Ginger wanted to know when Chris and Shaz arrived at the station. "Anything good?"

"Rowan and Shaz have their sci fi night so Ray and I are going to pub," Chris replied with a shrug.

"Simon has to go to this boring conference tomorrow, so he's leaving tonight. I need something to do!" he pleaded.

"You can come with us to the pub," Chris offered.

"Yeah, all right," he agreed. He wasn't really enthused about it. All they talked about was football and the fact that now that they had kids they didn't seem to get any. Ginger was pretty sure they were exaggerating about the rarity of the occurrences. Besides, he couldn't join in. As accepting as they were about him, they didn't really want to hear the same kind of talk from him.

"See you at work, love," Chris told her as and planted a swift kiss on her cheek. "You be good for mummy, poppet," he told Olivia and kissed his daughter's nose then headed out.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Lucy walked into the station and got ready for the day to go on rounds with PC Williams. She still hadn't run into her father, but then, she hadn't been trying. He hadn't tracked her down and confronted her so either no one had gleefully informed him of the fact that she was back and what she was doing, or, perhaps, he just wasn't bothered. She found she didn't mind.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa stopped her nails from tapping against her mug as her phone went off and jolted her out of her reverie. She sighed at Rowan's text.

"K. thanks" she sent back and took a large gulp.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Lucy checked her watch again and sighed and walked over to the Sergeant.

"Is Williams coming in today? I'm supposed to be training with him," she asked.

The man looked at her and then flipped through some papers. "Nope, he's called in sick it seems," he told her. "Why don't you go start on the cells, it was his turn today, and when you get finished, I'll have found someone else for you to go with," he told her. Lucy nodded but grimaced after she'd turned away. Clean the cells. She gave a quick smile and nod to Chris as she passed him in the hall.

"Let me guess, your turn to clean cells?" he asked. She nodded.

"I think they're mostly empty, shouldn't be too bad," he said and flashed her a quick smile.

Well, he seemed nice. She still wished she would have some help. She cleaned as fast as she could and then stowed away the cleaning supplies before tidying herself up and going back.

"Right, you can go out with Sergeant Blake today," the Sergeant told her and she nodded and went off to find him.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney practically floated to the restaurant to get coffees for herself and Jodie. Bolton was here, on the Square! She could still hardly believe it. She was going to have to talk to him about why he hadn't got in touch with her, however. That still stung. She wasn't sure she could think about getting involved with him until she knew.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Shaz waved at Chris and gathered up all of Olivia's things as she balanced her on her hip easily. Shaz scanned the room and felt Olivia tug on her hair.

"What have I forgotten?" she asked and Olivia pointed with a small laugh. Shaz followed Olivia's finger and spotted her dog wedged underneath the coffee table. She put Olivia down on the floor and went to grab the dog.

She turned back to Olivia with the dog in her hand. "How did it get under there?" she asked with an eyebrow raised and Olivia gave her an innocent look. Shaz sighed with a smile as she went and picked her up again.

"Come on, then," she smiled as she gave her the dog and made sure that she had everything once more. Shaz nodded and took Olivia out to the car and strapped her into the car seat before driving away.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Bolton fingered his phone as he got changed ready for his first session. He scrolled down to Whitney's number and his finger hovered over the green button. He smiled as he sent her a text.

"What're you doin for Lunch?"

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Shaz pulled up outside the Restaurant and watched the early risers drift into the Restaurant for breakfast. She grabbed Olivia from the car and took her hand as they walked inside. She smiled as she headed directly for their table picked Olivia up so she wouldn't be in the way. She smiled at Rowan, Ray and the twins.

"Who's ready for Nursery then?" she smiled at them.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

"Get rid?" she gasped, pretending to be offended. She looped her arms around his neck and put her forehead to his. "And you'll no doubt complain about the lack of s-e-x," she teased him in a low tone. "But when you think of that, think of how fantastic it was the other night, despite the interruption," she reminded him, putting her mouth close to his ear. She let out a little giggle and straightened up as she saw Shaz approaching.

The hands of both twins shot up at Shaz' question.

"Looks like it's time for you all to go," she said with a glance at Ray. She picked each twin up and kissed them and then gestured them to take their father's hands so he could lead them to the car. She gave Ray a final quick kiss and waved as they headed out. She sighed and then set about cleaning up the table before heading into the kitchen to get to work. She just had breakfast rush to get through and then Alyssa would be here with her mysterious need to talk.

Ray grunted as she let him go. He never complained, winged, whined and groaned about it, but never complained.

Shaz grinned at Ray and the twins as they came towards her and she waved at Rowan before leading them outside and towards her car. Ray took Denis and Shaz took Claire and they helped them into their car seats before Ray climbed in the front next to Shaz. He looked at her once as she started up the car and then glanced in the back to look at the kids.

"All right, Olivia?" he asked her and she glanced up to nod at him once before going back to bouncing her toy in mid air. Ray frowned and nudged Shaz. "What's she doing?" he asked her quietly, Shaz glanced into the back and smiled at Olivia before turning back to Ray as she pulled away from the curb.

"She's making him walk," she said simply as she joined the traffic.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney paused before picking up her coffees and read off the text. She smiled. So, he was keen then. She winked at Nora who was looking at her with a curious expression and sent a text back.

"I don't know, I'm thinking I'd like to eat lunch," she sent back and then stowed her phone back in her pocket before picking up the coffees and muffins and heading back to the shop. She put the coffees on the counter when she got back and grinned at Jodie.

"I think Bolton's going to ask me to lunch," she said. Jodie stopped from rummaging in the back of muffins to look at Whitney.

"Oooooo, luck," she said and went back to the bag to get her muffin out. "I don't know why you didn't stay with that Brett guy. He was so rich and so fit," Jodie remarked, "not as fit as Darren, of course, but nice."

Whitney shook her head and took a sip of her coffee.

"He was pushy and…I don't know. Bolton's a lot less uptight, I guess," Whitney tried to explain. Jodie made a face and shrugged and began to eat.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Lucy liked going along with Blake. He tended to stay around the High Street and Lucy was able to get a look at Whitney's shop, which she had joking called "The Stall" and admire the window display. It also meant they stopped for a coffee break at the restaurant Rowan owned. Lucy remembered her food from when she worked at the café and wasn't surprised to see the restaurant doing well. She looked around at the bustle of the dining room as she ate a chocolate chip muffin and drank some coffee. It seemed the breakfast rush was winding down. She supposed she should go and try to see her father before maybe going out with her friends tonight. She was sure he would be happy to see her and no doubt plotting how he might make use of a daughter who was on the force. The idea disgusted her.

She drained her coffee and nodded to Blake that she was finished. She smiled and held the door open for a stunning redhead who was coming in as they were leaving and realized after she was halfway to the car that the woman had been the Mr. Rimmer's girlfriend. She'd heard they'd got married. Oh well. She'd never really had a chance. None of the girls had.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Bolton smiled at her text. "Mind if I tag along? You can show me the best places to eat round here?"

He put his phone on the side of the ring and pulled on his gloves. He grinned once at the thought of spending time with Whitney today before starting his warm up.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa scanned the Restaurant for Rowan and gave a small wave as she sat down at a quiet table set apart from other people that were around. She picked up a menu and read it, once. Twice. Three times before putting it down and looking around her. She watched the crowds of people lessen until there were only a few people still eating and waited patiently for Rowan.

Rowan caught sight of Alyssa and gave her a quick wave. She made sure all was in hand in the kitchen before pulling off her apron and heading over.

"Do you want to go upstairs or is here fine?" she asked before Nora walked over.

"Rowan, there's a delivery for you."

Rowan sighed. "If you want to talk upstairs, go on up, I'll be right behind you," she said and followed Nora back to the counter where a large bouquet of flowers was waiting. Rowan signed for them and looked at the card. She rolled her eyes. "Secret Admirer" indeed.

"Thanks, Nora," she said and looked at them. They were quite lovely, she was willing to admit. No roses. That meant they must be from Ray. He knew she couldn't stand roses.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney put her coffee down and read the text.

"I suppose I don't mind at all. Meet up with me at the shop. There's a great little restaurant I go to the next street over," she sent back and then put her phone down and grinned smugly at Jodie.

"He wants me to join him for lunch," she said.

"Nice," said Jodie. "I'll tell Darren to come and have lunch here then," she said. "You certainly won't want me tagging along."

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Claire watched Olivia play with her dog for few minutes and then looked back up at Shaz and her father.

"I gonna marry Syed," she told Shaz.

"No yer not," Denis argued and Claire stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes, I am so," she insisted.

"No yer not, stupid," Denis shot back.

"Yer stupid," Claire snapped.

"Not!"

"Are!"

Denis reached over and uncharacteristically smacked Claire's arm. Claire shrieked.

"You hurted me!"

"No."

Claire reached over and hit him back.

"I hate you," she snarled and Denis turned his head away from her.

"Hey!" Ray's voice rang out over the twins as his hand came into the back and separated them from each other.

"Denis, don't hurt your sister or call her names," he said to his son with a frown.

"Claire, don't call Denis names or hit him," he said to her, his tone sharp as he frowned at his children.

"And no fighting in the car at any time, it's dangerous," he said again and looked at all three children, including Olivia in his gaze deliberately: it wouldn't hurt for her to know this for the future. Ray looked at Denis for a moment then turned back to Claire.

"Claire, love, Syed is already married," he said to her gently.

Shaz sat silently in the front as she drove, a smile creasing her face as she listened to Ray talking to his children; it was rare that she ever heard him use a gentle tone of voice but now was one of those times and she was finding it to be very amusing. But she would not laugh, not while he was telling them off.

Denis glared at his father and then deliberately looked away.

Claire huffed at her father's comment, folded her arms and turned her head as she pouted.

Ray sighed as his children turned away from him. He scowled slightly as he turned back into the front of the car and folded his arms grumpily. Bloody kids with their bloody attitudes!

Shaz rolled her lips under her teeth in an attempt to keep herself from laughing; the twins were more like their father than they knew! She pulled up outside the nursery building and climbed out of the car and moved around to open the door next to Denis and then went and opened the door on Olivia's side and unstrapped her from her car seat.

Shaz got Olivia and all of her stuff out of the car and watched as Ray got the twins in order.

Denis folded his arms to keep from holding his father's hand. Claire pouted up at him a moment, then reluctantly took his hand to walk into nursery. Denis gave her a look that said "traitor" and walked next to Shaz instead of with his father.

Claire looped her arms around her father's neck when he went to kiss her goodbye.

"You could tell Syed he has to marry me, right, Daddy?" she whispered in his ear.

Denis was already across the room, chattering softly to Olivia.

Ray unwound Claire's arms from his neck and shook his head.

"No, love, I'm not going to tell Syed to marry you," he told her gently. "Because, Claire, Syed is already married," he told her.

Ray gave her another kiss on her head and patted her hair. "Go on, " he said as he nudged her gently into the midst of the children and headed back towards Shaz who was waiting at the door with a small wave at his children.

Claire huffed out a breath ready to say something else when he nudged her away. She widened her eyes at him and looked up at him from under her lashes and sighed again before blinking slowly and walking away.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ginger stood in the small kitchen and desultorily made himself a cup of tea. He leaned against the counter as he waited for the kettle to boil and waved at Shaz as he saw her walk past.

"You look cheerful," he noted and managed a smile.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa watched Rowan dash off and looked around her. It was more comfortable up in the flat and it meant there would be just her and Rowan and no one else listening in. She rose from her seat and caught Rowan's attention as she walked past and silently gestured towards the flat as she climbed the stairs. She pushed open the door with a smile and walked inside, she chose to sit on the sofa and slipped off her shoes before sitting crossed legged against the arm of the sofa.

She hadn't told Rowan she was pregnant, she had figured there was no point since she wasn't planning on keeping it. But now she had found that she couldn't get rid of her baby she supposed she should let Rowan know what was going on. That and she needed to tell somebody before she exploded. She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger then split it into three sections and began to plait it idly.

Rowan turned and headed upstairs with the flowers. She glanced over at Alyssa and quickly stuck them in a vase, she'd sort them out properly later, and then went over and dropped onto the couch.

"So, what's going on?" Rowan wanted to know. "Spill."

Alyssa looked up at Rowan and let her hair drop. She chewed her lip for a moment and sighed. "I'm pregnant, Rowan," she said as she switched her position restlessly and ended up kneeling on Rowan's sofa.

"I've known for a few days now and I told Jack, and we talked it through and he said that he didn't mind if I got rid of it. So this morning I went to the Surgery and I was sitting there Ro, and I just couldn't," she sighed. "I couldn't get rid of it," she said. "I'm scared shitless, I don't want kids but I can't get rid of it and now I'm not so sure that I want to," she said quietly.

"I need to tell Jack, but I can't do it while he's working and I don't want to meet up with him at lunch because then he might not be able to concentrate in the afternoon and I had to tell someone before I burst," she went on hurriedly.

Rowan gaped at Alyssa's announcement. Those were words she never thought she would hear from Alyssa! She quickly moved and wrapped Alyssa in her arms.

"Oh, Lyss! I think it will be amazing," she said into Alyssa's hair, her voice near to tears. She leaned back and looked her sister in the face.

"I know you didn't want kids, but, Lyss, I think you'll be brilliant. Look how great you've been with the twins! They adore you. I don't think you'll be like your mother at all," Rowan said insistently. "Besides, Jack would put you in your place the minute there was even a hint you were being like your mother, so really, I don't think you have any reason to worry."

She suddenly grinned. "I know Jack no doubt supported your decision, but I still bet you make his day with this news. You know, even though you'd changed your mind, you still should have talked to Dr. Bond. You'll need to see a doctor, you know, but I get it, you had to get out of there."

She grabbed Alyssa into a hug again and giggled.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around Rowan and sniffed softly as she hugged her sister.

She pulled away and let go of Rowan. "I really need to tell Jack but I've got to wait until he's done with school," she sighed, feeling restless again. "I don't think I'm going to be able to do it," she said as she wrapped a lock of hair around her finger again.

"How's everything with Claire and Denis?" she suddenly asked, she needed a change of subject to take her mind off Jack and her pregnancy. "How're they doing with Nursery and everything?" she asked curiously.

Rowan chuckled. "Well, if you want to tell him now, tell him now. Be prepared for him to come home early though," Rowan teased. "You certainly won't be ruining his day."

She nodded. "The twins are fine. Claire is convinced she's going to marry Syed and Denis is still having issues about," she cleared her throat, "the other day," she finished with a sigh. "He's as stubborn as his father," she growled and rubbed at her face.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Lucy was finding today much more interesting. She'd helped foil a robbery and catch a mugger. She was feeling far more useful than she did with Williams. She wondered if she could get Sergeant Blake to take her on for her training. Blake was gruff and no-nonsense, but he knew what he was talking about and she was learning a lot more from him than Williams, who seemed far more concerned with other things that weren't necessarily police-related.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney finally finished up the rough outfits for the small show she was going to get to participate in and smiled. Now, she just needed to fit them to her models and find a male model. A slow smile suddenly spread across her face as the fact that she was meeting Bolton for lunch crossed her mind. Perfect. He was very fit and as a bonus, he had DJ skills. She could perhaps get him to sort of DJ while modeling the clothes, she could do a club-type theme.

"Yes!" she blurted out, causing Jodie to nearly drop her coffee. Jodie whirled and looked at Whitney, who was grinning like a loon.

"What are you screaming about?"

"I've had a brilliant idea for my part of the show," Whitney told her. "Of course, it all depends on if I can get Bolton to go along with it."

Jodie smirked. "Well, if he's as keen as you say, that shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

"No indeed," Whitney agreed and hoped things would work out. If it did, she might be able to hire another couple of people to help her sew, which would be useful if she started getting more orders in. Right now, she was working all the hours she could to keep up with the orders she had. She was lucky, however, that Lauren was always willing to pitch in and help sew so she could keep up.

She began going through her paperwork, humming tunelessly under her breath as she did so.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Shaz nodded at him. "Yup, Sci-Fi night tonight with Rowan while Chris and Ray go out," she smiled at him. "You're going with them aren't you?" she asked him.

Ginger rolled his eyes. "Chris invited me, yeah. Si's going to some seminar so I'm at loose ends. I just get so tired of listening to the pair of them," he groaned.

Shaz smiled and patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You could always join me and Ro if you don't mind watching a load of Science Fiction," she said to him with a chuckle. "And if you need an incentive, then there is a _very _high possibility that we will be watching a lot of John Barrowman."

Ginger looked at her a moment and thought it over.

"I'm yours," he finally said, gratitude written all over his face and turned to pour the water into his mug. He looked back at her. "Tea?"

Shaz smiled at him and leant against the counter. "Please," she smiled as she grabbed down her mug from the shelf and handed it to him.

Ginger quickly fixed a cup for Shaz, too.

"I just can't bear to spend an evening with them on their own in the pub. Their conversation," he said and fanned himself. "I can really do without."

He walked back to the main room with her and dropped into his chair.

"I'm gonna hang with the girls tonight, Chris," Ginger told him.

Chris glanced over, shrugged and nodded. "Be careful, those girls are trouble," he cautioned and grinned at Shaz.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney went over all her paperwork and sighed. She would just break even again this month, only just. She really needed this thing to go well then she could get the small business loan she needed to properly expand.

She was going to have to cut back on going out for awhile, except for today. Lunch had now become a business expense with what she planned to ask Bolton. She glanced over at the clock and smiled. It was almost time. He should be here any minute.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Lucy held in a sigh when Blake suggested going to her father's chippy for lunch. She'd really been trying to avoid him since she'd got back. She nodded reluctantly. Might as well get it over with. Blake drove them to the Square and waited patiently for her to get out of the car before heading inside.

The place wasn't busy just yet and she took off her hat and brushed at her fringe before she reached the counter. Ian's look of surprise was something to see.

"Lucy?"

"Hi, Dad," she said, keeping her tone level.

"When did you get back and what are you doing dressed like that?"

"I got back a few days ago," she lied blithely, "and I'm dressed like this because it's my job."

Ian frowned. "Why in the world would you want to be a cop?" he asked in shock, ignoring that Blake was still inside.

"Because I decided I did," she told him.

She watched the run of expressions on his face and sighed when she saw that look that meant he was considering how best to use Lucy's career to his advantage.

"Dad, forget it," she told him and his expression immediately changed.

"Forget what?" he asked, his tone overly innocent.

Lucy shook her head. "Never mind. You know, I'm not hungry," she sighed.

"Luce, don't go," Ian called after her.

"Dad, all you can see is someone you might be able to make use of, not the daughter you haven't seen for almost four years," she told him and slammed out of the chippy. Blake looked back at Ian mildly and then followed her out.

"Don't like your father much, do you?" he asked and Lucy looked up at him and then shook her head.

"Sometimes I do, and sometimes, I see him how everyone else sees him and he makes me a little sick," she confessed.

"I'll go get something at the café," she said and headed away. She smiled at Bianca and ordered herself some lunch and then noticed Jane sitting and reading the paper and went to sit with her.

"Well, I saw Dad," she said without preamble.

Jane looked up at her. "And?"

"He was sort of glad to see me, but I think it was more because of what he thought I might be able to do for him than anything else," she told Jane, who nodded sadly.

"He'll come around, realize he missed you and be happy just to see you," Jane told her.

"Somehow, I doubt it," Lucy said. "Why did he even bother coming back? I heard about what he did to Peter and Molly, I mean, good grief, why does he have to be like that?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know."

"I hate to say it, but it's probably good you got out," Lucy told her and then bent to her food, leaving Jane looking at her in surprise.


	3. Chapter 3

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 3**

Alyssa sighed and smiled. "Yeah, that's why I don't want to tell him yet," she said wistfully. "It's not fair to get him all worked up so that he can't concentrate," and tapped her nails together. "But I'm getting so impatient."

"Oh, bless them," she sighed. "It's so sweet that Claire's got a crush on Syed!" she exclaimed with a small laugh.

Rowan shook her head. "I'm sure that it will be someone else next week. This time it's because Syed puts faces on her pancakes, next time," Rowan shrugged, "who knows? Have you talked to Jack more about it, or are you just letting him calm down on his own?" Rowan asked.

"Let me know who it ends up being," she smiled. "He puts faces on her pancakes? That's adorable and I'm just going to have to let Jack calm down on his own. I correct him every time he says something and fortunately most of the people he tells also have kids and have gone through the same thing. But he's only three; I really can't tell him much." Alyssa rested her hands quietly in her lap.

"He's the head, he has a deputy, surely if he wants to go off his head and go a little crazy, why not?" Rowan said. She grabbed Alyssa's hands to stop the clicking. "You don't, I will," she warned. She flopped back on the couch and looked over at the flowers which she had put in the middle of the kitchen table.

"Maybe Ray sending me those flowers will help Denis," she turned back to Alyssa and smiled.

Alyssa glanced over at the flowers and sighed. "He'll stop eventually, just make sure the door is locked next time Ro so he can't see anything happening again," she smiled and gently nudged Rowan with a small smirk.

"Yeah, well Ray forgot to lock the door," she grouched and watched as Alyssa pulled out her phone. "Now, please, call Jack.

Alyssa shot Rowan a look and then tapped in Jack's number.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

"Rimmer," Jack said sharply as he picked up his phone. Today was proving to be a bit of an annoying day. At least the meetings were done, that was the worst, in his opinion.

"Jack," Alyssa said, repressing her sigh at his tone, if Rowan was right and he would be happy then she was glad to make his day a little brighter. "Can you come home?" she asked. "I need to talk to you," she pleaded.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly, his tone changing to one of worry. "I'll be right there," he said and quickly put down the phone and rushed from his office.

"I'll be out for the rest of the day," he told his secretary. "Family emergency," he added and bolted from the building. He quickly got into the car, tires squealing in his rush to get out of the parking lot and home.

Rowan clasped her hands in excitement and watched Alyssa call Jack. She gnawed at her bottom lip and her brow furrowed at the way she'd phrased it. That was the perfect way to make Jack panic. She heard the near hysteria in Jack's voice and then the sound of him hanging up.

"I think he's on his way," she observed.

Alyssa opened her mouth and then frowned with a sigh as he hung up. She looked back at Rowan before standing up and stretching.

"I'd best get home, he sounded like he was starting to panic," she sighed and leaned over to give Rowan a hug. "Thanks, Ro," she smiled.

"Anything, anytime," Rowan told her and hugged her back tightly. She put a hand on Alyssa's cheek. "And congratulations."

She followed Alyssa downstairs and hurried into the kitchen to get ready for lunch.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

Shaz stuck her tongue out at Chris. "We aren't that bad Christopher," she said to him as she grinned at him and turned back to Ginger with a grin.

"So you're choosing an evening of ogling Barrowman's arse instead of knocking back pints with my husband and his Neanderthal best friend?" she said approvingly. "Good choice," she smiled.

Chris made a noise and frowned at Shaz. "Don't let Ray hear you say that," he told her and went back to the file he was working on.

"I've got nothing against pints," Ginger told her. "But Barrowman's arse is the clincher there. No offense," he said as he glanced over at Chris.

Shaz smiled at Ginger and watched Chris walk away. She took her mug from him and sipped her drink. "So 7 at ours tonight then," she grinned at him as she made her way to her desk.

Chris got up a few minutes later to make himself a cup of tea. He stopped and peered in at Ray.

"Shaz says meeting at 7 at ours. I think she and Rowan have their own food planned, so we could just get food at the pub. Shaz has gone and got Ginger joining them," he chuckled.

Ray looked up at Chris and nodded. "All right, I'll pick you up when I drop Ro off at yours," he grinned. They hadn't been out to the pub for a while now, not on their own with Rowan and Shaz and the kids. He was looking forward to it

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Charlie looked down at Annie as they got off the train and then looked around.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" he asked her. She smiled up at him, her brown eyes shining.

"Ach, it will be fine, Charlie. It's London, it's excitement," she told him and took his arm and led him down the street. "Keep an eye out for this pub, it's supposed to be near here somewhere," she admonished and Charlie nodded and straightened his tall frame to peer around. He caught sight of the Square and pointed.

"I think it might be over that way," he said and sighed.

"Aww, you aren't missing Shieldinch already?" she teased. He shrugged.

"A bit, I guess, our friends…."

"Well, you've still got me," she reminded him and he grinned down at her.

"That's true," he agreed and led her in the direction of the Square.

"And look," she said and pointed as they passed a sari shop. "There's a flat to let right there."

He glanced up and then around them again and finally caught sight of the pub, his height letting him see it over the crowd of people doing lunchtime errands.

"The pub is just over there," he told her and she craned to see. He hitched his bag up farther on his shoulder and hurried Annie towards it. They slipped inside and looked around the busy pub.

"We should have got here earlier," he hunched down and remarked. Annie nodded.

"Can't be helped now," she said brightly and headed towards the bar. She turned her sunny smile on Tracey.

"Help you?" Tracey asked.

"Yes, I'm Annie, and this is Charlie, we're here to see Peggy Mitchell," she told the woman. Tracey looked them both over and nodded before going to get Peggy, who was in the kitchen trying to help Peter with the food.

"Peggy, there's a Charlie and an Annie here to see you," Tracey told her and Peggy made a sound of relief.

"New bar staff, finally," Peggy explained and rushed out of the kitchen.

"Hello, I'm Peggy Mitchell, it's good to see you."

"We probably shouldn't have arrived at lunch," Charlie said in an abashed tone. Peggy shook her head.

"It's fine, means I can put you to work right away," she told him. "Here, you can put your bags behind the bar over here. You don't mind just jumping in?"

"Not at all," Annie replied. "I jump in all the time."

Charlie stowed their bags while Annie quickly scanned the set up behind the bar. "Okay," Annie said and nodded at Peggy. "I'm ready."

Peggy gave Annie a quick nod and smile and gestured at Max, who had just walked up to the bar. "Go to it," she said and turned around to head back to the kitchen.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" she asked Max.

Max eyed the pretty blonde woman and couldn't help but smile.

"Whiskey," he told her shortly and admired her as she turned to get it.

He thanked her as she put it down and handed her the money.

"So, who are you and where'd you spring from?" he asked her with a charming smile.

"Annie, just got here from Shieldinch…Glasgow," she replied, "me and my boyfriend," she added and grabbed Charlie's arm. Charlie gave Max a small smile and a nod and went to serve someone else.

"Ah," Max said with a nod and knocked back his drink. He put the glass back down, gave Annie a wink and left the pub. Annie looked at Tracey.

"Well, he's certainly a flirt," Annie commented and Tracey nodded.

"Max Branning, and he's only been back with his ex-wife a couple years," she told Annie and Annie chuckled.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

Bolton had a quick shower and dried himself off before getting changed back into his clothes. He grabbed up his phone and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans before heading out. Bolton made his way through the boxing club and out into the fresh air, he had to admit, the fresh air was a lot nicer than the smell of sweat and deodorant that was everywhere in the club.

Bolton reached Whitney's shop and tapped the glass on the door before taking a step inside.

"You ready?" he asked with a grin. "I want to see this place that you think is good to eat," he said.

Whitney glanced at Jodie who winked back at her when Bolton came in.

"I'm ready," she said and walked over to him, a slow smile lighting her face. She gave Jodie a quick wave and led Bolton out of the shop and to the restaurant.

"Actually," she told him as she led him inside and to a table, "today is pretty perfect to meet up. I have something of a proposition for you," she told him and smiled up at Nora who came over to take their order. She caught sight of Lauren sitting on the other side of the dining room and gave her a small wave. She knew her friend had a thing for James and ate here pretty much every day.

Lauren waved back and turned her attention back to the book she was reading. She had overheard James mention it the other day and hoped he would notice she was reading it and maybe say something.

Bolton took a seat and nodded briefly at Lauren as he grabbed at a menu. He glanced at Whitney

"What kind of proposition?" he asked curiously as he made his choice about food. He was very glad that she had agreed to come for lunch with him, even if it was only to talk to him about whatever proposition she had for him.

Whitney opened her mouth to answer his question, when Nora came over to take their order. She quickly said what she wanted and waited patiently for Nora to take Bolton's order and then walk away.

"Okay," she said, leaning over and keeping her voice low. "I have this sort of show coming up next weekend. It's a bunch of up and coming designers; I got the invite because I did so well at school. If I do well, it means I can start getting some serious business and the bank will grant me a small business loan so I can expand. Thing is, I don't have a lot of money and most of it's going to the clothes I'm making. So, I've gone to my friends for help. Molly and Lauren have agreed to be female models for me. I just need a male," she explained and looked at him, hoping what she wanted was self –evident.

"You want me to model your stuff?" Bolton asked, surprised but pleased. "Sure," he agreed with a smile.

His eyes suddenly narrowed as he realised the only things he'd ever seen of hers had been those shirts she used to sell on her stall. He had no idea what it was that she was creating now. "Hang on, these aren't some weird Lady Gaga type creations are they?" he asked skeptically.

"Great," Whitney said happily and then shook her head. "No, nothing like that at all."

She took her drink from Nora, took a sip of it and then looked back at Bolton. "There is one more tiny thing, though," she began. "You said you DJ, yeah? So could you sort of do a DJ thing for my part of the show? I was thinking I could have a club theme then. What do you think?" she asked her tone pleading as she widened her eyes a bit.

Bolton chuckled at her pleading look and nodded his head agreeably.

"Sure, I'll get some stuff together for you and then you tell me which songs you want and I'll do whatever you need," he said. "D'you want me to bring my decks?" he asked. He had had to put most of his DJ-ing stuff into storage but it was easy enough to move to wherever she needed it to be.

"No, no….there won't be room for all that. Just you know, say what you say but to introduce the clothes and then just start something playing. You can bring your own music, I'll trust you that far," she told him. "Hopefully, I'll get some trial contracts and if I do, I'm sure to get the loan," she told him excitedly.

"And I'll have done it through hard work and a little help from my friends," she said and put a hand over Bolton's. "Not from anybody buying it all for me," she added proudly, though sometimes, she had to admit; she often wished she's had Brett's backing. If Ryan hadn't already been sending her the occasional funds, she never would have made it through the first year, even with Lauren carrying half the living expenses.

"Anyway, the girls are coming over tomorrow and we'll be going through the clothes so I can make sure they fit right. Can you come around at say 10am?"

Bolton nodded. "I'll get started on getting together some music, then," he smiled.

Bolton's smile widened at hearing the pride in her voice from managing to do this all by herself. "Good for you, it's better to be able to stand on your own two feet than having to lean on someone for support all the time," he said to her, sneaking a look at her hand that covered his.

"Yeah, I should be able to," he smiled. "I'm not training until the afternoon tomorrow so I'll have to be done by 1," he said.

"Oh, that would be brilliant. Then we could rehearse a bit with the music tomorrow when the clothes are ready," Whitney said enthusiastically. She glanced up and thanked Nora as their food arrived and quickly took a bite of the Philly steak she had ordered, chewed and swallowed before continuing.

"I had this boyfriend at school, he had money and at first I didn't mind a bit of help, it was helping him for this project he was doing so it was a win-win, yeah. But then, he started always trying to take over and throw money at everything. He couldn't see I wanted, I needed to do it on my own. He just had this whole attitude that I couldn't do anything myself and I was an ungrateful cow for not accepting his help," she told him, her tone slightly annoyed. "So, I broke up with him."

She smiled with a shrug and took another bite of her sandwich.

Bolton thanked Nora as his food arrived and immediately grabbed up his knife and fork to tuck in. "Fine by me," he told her around his mouthful. "I'll throw some tunes together tonight and you can see if you like them tomorrow," he told her.

Bolton snorted through his nose as he ate. "Sounds like a dick, you're better off without him," he said with a small smile.

"Yep, no more…." she began and realized just before she said Brett's name that Brett had gone to the same school as Bolton. Best she say nothing. She took a drink of her soda as if that was the full sentence and ate quietly for a few minutes.

"So, how come you never got back in touch after the party?" she asked him curiously.

Bolton shrugged at her as he toyed with his food.

"I dunno really, I suppose I figured that once I'd gone away you'd forget about me, we only really spent that one night together," he mumbled.

"How could you think that?" Whitney wanted to know. "You never even replied to that message I sent you on Facebook," she said with a sigh. "I just figured you didn't like me," she said with a small wave of her hand. "You know, my friends were all up for a road trip to Manchester if we'd kept in touch," she told him.

She picked up her sandwich and took another bite as she waited for his answer.

Bolton shrugged at her as he twirled his fork. "I dunno Whit, I just didn't. I remember reading it and just couldn't figure out how to reply," he told her. "I'm sorry," he sighed.

"It would have been great if you'd come up to Manchester," he smiled.

Whitney nodded and dropped the subject. Clearly that long-ago kiss had been heat of the moment and hadn't meant much really. He knew a load of pretty girls, Whitney clearly didn't stand out. She shrugged to herself. Probably best they were just mates, anyway, she was in no hurry to bring in complications.

She finished her food and talked a bit more about what she was hoping to get from the show before lunch was over.

"Well, I have to get back now, busy, busy," she said and stood up.

"Thanks for doing this," she told him, "I really mean it. You're a real mate," she added and pulled the money for their food out and handed it to Nora. She grabbed at her bag and headed with him to the door. She leveled her finger at him once they got outside. "10am, don't be late," she instructed with a smile and quickly began watching for a break in traffic so she could cross the street and head back to the shop.

"I'll be there," he grinned back at her.

Bolton sighed as he watched her leave. Mate. She thought he was just a mate. He kicked at a stone in frustration, he didn't want to be just her mate. Bolton growled and grabbed out his phone to check the time, 20 minutes to get back. Bolton shoved his phone back into his pocket and jogged back to the club to get changed for his session.

Whitney sighed as she walked back to the shop. She had hoped Bolton fancied her, and shrugged before pushing away that line of thought. She wasn't going to worry about it. She had a lot of work to do. She nodded at Jodie, but ignored her friend's questioning expression and got to work sewing.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

Sammy clapped his hands as he jumped to his feet and looked at his Mum as she glared at Gene.

"Ha!" he said. "Daddy wins Mummy," he told her as he looked up at his Dad happily.

Alex looked down at Sam and then back up at Gene. "Let me go," she said to him as her eyes narrowed and she twisted her wrists and tried to squeeze her hands out.

Gene chuckled again.

"Now, now, ma'am," he warned, "Don't go resisting arrest."

He winked down at Sam and tickled Alex's ribs on the side Sammy couldn't see.

"Do you think we should call for back up?" he asked Sammy.

Alex wiggled. "Gene," she complained as she did her best to push him away while her hands were restricted.

Sammy watched his parents and smiled. "Back up," he agreed with a grin at his mother while her eyes widened at her reply and she then looked to Gene curiously.

"Back up?" she asked slowly.

"Right, Sammy-boy, you get on the radio," he instructed and then picked Alex up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Tell them we have a suspect possibly resisting arrest and we need back up immediately," he ordered and started to carry Alex across the park. He looked back and gestured his son to hurry and chuckled.

"Gene!" Alex protested as she thumped on his back with her cuffed hands and looked to see Sam.

"Sammy, get the book and the football," she told him as she wiggled in Gene's grasp.

"Gene, put me down!" she told him.

Sammy laughed and grabbed the things from the floor as he hurried after Alex and Gene. "Daddy," he said as he caught up. "I don't have a radio," he said.

Gene held Alex a little tighter as he fished into his pocket and handed Sammy his radio.

"Use mine," he told him and grinned. He took the book from Sammy and shoved it into the back of his trousers so the boy only had the ball and the radio to deal with.

Alex struggled against Gene as she watched Sam take the radio off Gene and press the button.

"Hellooooo," he sang into it.

Ray looked down at his radio as a familiar voice came out of it, he frowned "Sammy? What's up kid?" he asked.

"Daddy needs backup for Mummy," he said back and Ray bit back a chuckle.

"Ask him if he needs a car," Ray said.

Sam nodded and looked back up at Gene. "Ray says do you need a car?" he asked with a smile at his mother's angry face.

"No, he doesn't," Alex growled back at her son. Sammy beamed at her before looking up at his father.

"Yes, DI Carling, I need at least one unit of uniform back up," he leaned over and said into the radio, ignoring Alex's howls.

"I'm at the park over near the flat. I found this woman assaulting a small child," he looked at Sammy. "How bad an offense would say tickling is, young man?" he asked him, his tone serious, but his eyes bright with amusement and a smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Bad!" Sammy said back. "Please Ray!" he begged down the radio.

Alex snarled at Gene and thumped him on the back. "Put me down Gene Hunt or so help me..." she threatened darkly as she dared to kick him in the stomach. "Put. Me. Down!" she told him again as Sam cackled.

Ray smiled at the commotion on the other end of the radio. "I'll send one out, Guv," he smiled and then dialled up the Skip and ordered him to do as Gene had told him.

"There's a team on the way, Guv," he said down the radio. He grinned as he heard Sam's delighted laugh in response and Alex's screech of frustration.

"You better hurry, before I have to add assaulting a police offer to the list of charges," Gene bellowed and gave Alex a quick swat on the backside. He grinned down at Sammy.

"Right then, lady, back up will be here soon and we'll have you locked up nice and tight," he said to Alex and winked at Sam.

Alex snorted and kicked him again. "Let go of me, Gene!" she told him again as she wriggled on his shoulder trying to dislodge herself from his grasp.

Sammy laughed heartily as he went to talk into the radio again but Ray cut him off.

"I got it Sammy, don't worry."

Sammy chuckled and put the radio back into Gene's pocket carefully.

Sam suddenly stopped laughing and moved a little closer to Gene's leg and reached up to grab Alex's still-cuffed hand which was hanging down Gene's back. Alex frowned and nudged Gene gently. She squeezed Sam's hand.

"Gene," she said, her tone of voice gentler and concern lingered on her face. "Put me down and un-cuff me," she told him.

Gene noticed the change in Sam almost immediately and nearly dumped Alex unceremoniously to the ground to see what was the matter with his son. He blindly held the key out in Alex's direction, his attention focused on his son. Then, he noticed the boys in the park, not far away.

"You all right, Sammy?" he asked his son quietly, his eyes narrowed in concern.

Alex twisted her hands in the cuffs until she found a position where she could unlock herself easily. She sighed as she she slid her key into her pocket and clipped the handcuffs to one of the belt loops on her jeans as she looked at her son in concern. Alex moved over to kneel next to him and stroked his head.

"Sammy?" she asked gently as she caught his gaze and glanced over towards the little boys, she recognised them from the Nursery that Sam went to and frowned, it didn't take much to see that Sam didn't like these boys.

Sammy nodded mutely at Gene and slid his hand into his fathers, his gaze immediately turning away from the boys as they glanced in his direction. Alex was fuming, she wanted to hug Sammy within an inch of his life and then go and give those boys a good talking to, but as Sammy wouldn't tell her exactly what it was that happened at Nursery she was finding it difficult to help him.

"Do you want to go home Sammy?" she asked him and Sammy nodded silently again.

"Okay, then," she sighed and dropped a kiss on the top of his head, she placed a hand on Gene's back. "Gene, don't kick off," she said to him quietly so that Sammy couldn't hear.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Chris walked past and heard the tail end of the conversation.

"What's up with the Guv?" he asked Ray curiously. "He's not really in trouble is he?"

Ray looked up at Chris. "I heard something about tickling, and I think he's on about locking up Alex, Sammy was laughing a lot," Ray shrugged.

"You're not really sending back up though, it's all part of the game, right?" Chris asked curiously. Alex would be furious if the Guv really locked her up.

Ray nodded. "I told the Skip what was going on, mainly so that Sammy would be convinced, he knows it's all a joke," he smiled at Chris.

"The Guv ain't half crazy," Chris muttered and headed back to his desk. He glanced at Ginger and Shaz who seemed convulsed with laughter over something they kept emailing back and forth and sat back down. He glanced at the empty container in the bin that had held his lunch and sighed. Sometimes one burger just wasn't enough, he felt.

He glanced up at the clock and leaned back to look past Ginger to Shaz.

"Almost kid time," he told her. "You going or am I?"

Ray shrugged and turned back to his computer as he played with his pen.

Shaz looked up at Chris as her laughter subsided and nodded at him. "I'll go," she smiled and turned back to Ginger.

"7 at ours tonight," she told him with a grin and then went over to kiss Chris before leaving.

Shaz popped her head around Ray's door and smiled at him. "I'm just going to get the kids, Ray," she told him with a smile, she got to leave work early and spend some time with her daughter. She wasn't complaining.

Ray looked up and nodded at her. "Sure, give my pair a hug from me," he smiled at her and Shaz nodded. "Sure, you're alright with walking home?" she asked him and he nodded.

Shaz twirled her keys around her finger as she practically skipped to her car and got into it. She grabbed up her phone and sent a text to Rowan.

"Do you want me to take the twins to mine, or drop them with you?"

Ginger watched Shaz leave and then glanced over at Chris.

"You're sure you don't mind if I go with them?"

Chris snorted. "Why should I? Not that you're not a mate an all, but there are times when you have more in common with them," he observed.

"Yeah, there are times," Ginger agreed and then turned his attention back to his computer.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

James smiled as he waited tables. The flowers had gone over well. He wondered what he should do next. He was glad he'd overheard her talking to someone once about her dislike of roses, he'd made very sure there were no roses in the bouquet. He pondered what to do next as he went about serving his lunch customers.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

The brakes squealed as Jack parked in front of the house. He fought with the seatbelt in his struggle to get out of the car and ran into the house.

"Lyss?" he called. "Alyssa?"

She wasn't here. He put his hands on his hips and frowned. Where in the world could she be?

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

Alyssa left Rowan's and half-ran home. She sighed as she spotted Jack's car outside. He was already home, and probably going spare! She hurried to the front door and unlocked it quickly. Alyssa closed the door softly behind her.

"Jack?" she called out softly.

Jack had just finished looking through the empty spare rooms when he heard Alyssa's voice. He thundered downstairs and grabbed her into his arms.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" he asked her worriedly.

Alyssa started slightly as she found herself crushed against him. She rested her head on his chest and fixed her arms around him gently.

"I'm fine Jack, I just..." she trailed off and looked up at his face. "I went to the surgery this morning," she told him quietly as she pulled back from him slightly. "And I was sitting there, waiting for my turn, and the closer it got, the more I realised that I couldn't go through with it," she said to him.

"Jack, I'm not getting rid of this baby," she said as she looked up at his face, gauging his reaction.

Jack gaped down at her at her pronouncement. Keeping the baby? Was she serious?

"Are…are you sure?" he asked her cautiously, scarcely able to believe his ears. He searched her face and knew how much he hoped her answer was yes was written on his face.

He pulled her a bit closer and leaned down. "Cause you know I'll support you whatever you decide."

Alyssa looked up at his face and knew that Rowan was right: no matter what she said Jack would support her, but he wanted this baby. She pressed her face back into his chest and breathed him in deeply.

"I couldn't get rid of the baby, if I was sitting in the Surgery and couldn't even get into the Consultant Room then that means something doesn't it," she said into his shirt. Alyssa breathed him in again and looked up at his face once more. "So yes, I am sure," she smiled at him.

Jack whooped inadvertently and swung Alyssa around before pressing his lips to hers as he held her up off the floor.

"So," he said when he broke off the kiss. "We can celebrate?" he asked curiously. "And you should make an appointment for an exam. You want to make sure you're all nice and healthy. He put her back down gently and put a hand on her cheek.

"And I am going to beat Ray's score when we go to those classes," he said determinedly and grinned at her.

Alyssa nodded. "We can celebrate," she smiled at him as her arms stayed fastened securely around his neck and she laughed. "And I'll make another appointment with Simon at the Surgery soon just to check that I'm okay," she promised him.

"I'm glad," she smiled at him. His excitement was infectious. She grinned broadly up at him.

"So, is my theory that you don't want to go back to work now correct?" she asked him curiously.

"You are correct, ma'am," Jack said to her, trying to imitate JT's drawl. "I said I had a family emergency. So, what does my lady wife desire? Shall we go to that romantic little place over off the High Street?" he suggested and pulled her a bit closer.

"And maybe we can work up an appetite before we go," he said in a flirty tone before brushing another kiss across her lips.

Alyssa smiled, her grip on him tightening as he pulled her closer.

"What is it with you and being romantic recently?" she asked him. "Not that I'm complaining, but there was that candlelit dinner you made for me earlier on in the week, and now this idea of going to a romantic restaurant," she smiled at him.

"Mind you, it isn't even lunchtime yet..." she trailed off and looked at him suggestively.

"Can't a man spoil his wife?" he asked her and grinned. He pulled her up into his arms and walked over to the stairs and set her on the bottom step.

"It's early as all that? Then I suggest we do go and work up an appetite, we've plenty of time," he said and then turned her around and gave her a swat on the backside to get her going upstairs.

Alyssa smiled at him. "I suppose he can sometimes...but more than once a week and it starts getting suspicious," she told him as she felt her feet planted back on the floor and looked down at him from her new position on the stairs. She smirked and ran her fingers through his hair before giving him a pat on the head. "Hey there, Shorty," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled at him and started to climb the stairs quickly, kicking her shoes off as she got to the landing. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Jack was still with her and led him to the bedroom, turning and pressing her lips to his as her foot kicked the door shut.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

Rowan sighed with relief when lunch rush was finally over. Another couple of hours and the kids would be home and then she could go and hang out with Shaz. She hoped Alyssa would want to go out and celebrate the baby, but tonight it would be just her and Jack. Rowan smiled to herself and wished she could tell. But she would wait. It was Alyssa's news to announce. She quickly set about doing her part of the kitchen clean up, more than ready for the end of the day.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\

"Well, that was an experience," Annie remarked when the people had finally drifted out of the pub and back to work. Charlie nodded.

"Not bad for a first day," Peggy said to them and Annie beamed.

"Since we passed the test, do you think it'd be all right if we want to find someplace to stay?" Annie asked. "We came straight here."

"Of course, of course, I could use you tonight if you've a mind," Peggy said. Annie looked at Charlie and they both nodded.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Charlie told her.

"Are you hungry at all?" Peggy wanted to know. "Peter's a half-decent cook and we've got a lot of lasagne."

"Maybe when we get back. I'm too worked up to eat right now, but thanks," Annie replied.

"I might get some chips to take away, though," Charlie mused. "I'm a bit hungry."

Annie snorted. ""You get your chips and I'll get the bags," she told him and laughed.

Charlie went into the kitchen.

"Um, Peggy said I could get something to eat. I'm Charlie, by the way, just started working here," he held out his hand and Peter shook it.

"Peter," Peter introduced himself. "What did you want?"

"I'll just have some chips to take with me. Do you know who I would talk to about that flat over the sari shop?"

Peter nodded as he put some chips in paper for Charlie. "Ask in the sari shop, I think it's a relative or something that owns the building."

"Right, thanks," Charlie said and took the chips.

"No problem," Peter said and waved him off. Charlie met up with Annie and got the door for her before taking his bag and shouldering it.

"Peter in the kitchen said we can talk to the lady in the sari shop about the flat," he told her. Annie smiled. "Perfect," she said and stole a chip.

Charlie used his height and held the chips away. "Thought you said you couldn't eat?"

"One chip," she snorted.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

"Mum!"

Alex's head whipped around and she beamed. "Molls," she smiled as Molly came and hugged her. "Hows everything?" she asked.

Molly nodded as she let go. "Fine, fine, the appointment was fine before you ask and we've been taking it easy," she said and then grabbed Sam up and spun him around in a circle. "And how's my favourite little brother?" she asked as she settled him back on the floor and grinned at him. Sam just looked at her silently.

Alex sighed and Molly frowned, Alex placed a hand on Molly's arm and led her away a little from Sam. "He's still being bullied, I think it's to do with those three boys over there, he was fine until he spotted them," she sighed and Molly scowled.

"Right," she said as she turned on her heel and glared in the direction of the 5-year olds. Alex caught her arm before she could stalk towards them.

"How exactly is that going to help matters, Molly!" she said sharply and Molly glanced back at the little gang before back at her brother who was hugging his football. She fell to her knees next to her brother and tapped his nose. "So, how about you come back to mine and I beat you on that racing game of Peter's that you like?" she asked him. Sammy offered her a small smile and nodded his head. Molly nodded and glanced up at Alex's forlorn face and Gene's murderous expression.

"Go and tell Mummy and Daddy, then," she told him. Molly pulled out her phone as she stayed kneeling on the grass watching her family and read Peter's text briefly before pocketing her phone without replying, she had more important things to worry about for now.

Sam nodded and pushed the football at her before going and embracing his mother's leg briefly before edging towards Gene, he tugged on Gene's trouser leg to get his attention.

Gene glanced down as he felt Sammy's hand slide into his and he used his free hand to reach into his coat pocket and pull out his smokes. Gene didn't even listen to Alex, just stood and stared at the boys, who were staring at them.

He barely noticed when Molly came up and Sammy's hand disappeared from his as he pulled out his lighter and lit his cigarette one-handed. He noticed the boys had come a bit closer and he puffed out a cloud of smoke before taking the cigarette from his mouth and tilted his head slightly to study the boys.

"Problem?" he asked them in a near growl. "I suggest you get over it before I come to your house and break all your toys," he added and stuck the smoke back into the corner of his mouth. He folded his arms and glared at the boys, ignoring the conversation going on behind him until he felt a tug at his trouser leg.

He looked down at Sammy.

"Huh?" he grunted.

Sammy glanced over at the other boys a little anxiously before looking back up at his Dad.

"I'm going to play on Peter's games with Molly," he told him as Molly wandered over and kissed Gene's cheek, she placed a hand on Sammy's head as she looked at Gene. "I'll see you later, Gene," she said to him as she reached for Sam's hand and lead him away.

Alex watched them go and moved over to Gene after shooting the group of boys a sour look, she rubbed his arm gently. "You need to calm down, Gene," she told him.

Gene nodded at Sammy and then at Molly and watched them walk away for a moment before turning his glare on the boys again. He shrugged off Alex's hand and looked at her.

"I'd like to give all of them... " he began and then trailed off. He made a sound low in his throat and then whirled around and began to stride away out of the park and towards home.

He would have a chat with the nursery himself. Find out why the problem wasn't getting sorted...when Alex was busy, of course.

Alex sighed heavily, she shouldn't be surprised that Gene was taking this badly: she knew she was after all, but she had handled bullying with Molly before. This was Gene's first experience. She watched him stalk off in the direction of home and stayed where she was, her gaze drifting to the boys that were still in the park. She glared at all of them but did no more than that. At least Sammy was with Molly. She knew he liked playing with Peter's video games. He'd be fine for now.

She began to walk after Gene: she needed to get him to calm down.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Peter followed Charlie to the kitchen door and watched him and a blonde girl leave. He pulled his phone out and sent off a quick text to Molly.

"New bar staff," he sent her and went back to sort the kitchen out now that lunch was over.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Rowan went back upstairs to the flat and smiled at the flowers as she passed them. She couldn't wait to thank Ray properly for them; he so rarely bought her flowers. She went to the end of the hall and stopped outside the door of her and Ray's bedroom and reached up to pull down the stairs to the attic. In the faint light from downstairs she could just make out the string for the bulb and quickly yanked it to turn on the light. She would have to make sure to put in a proper light fixture. She glanced at the wall. Should be fairly easy to wire a switch plate. She looked around and nodded.

The man she'd bought the place from had obviously used the attic as a room; the floor was a nice wood, if a bit dusty. Only the bed that had been JT's was up here, and a few boxes with some of Rowan's maternity clothes and some things the twins had outgrown. She'd have to take the baby clothes down; Alyssa would find them useful she was sure. The room covered the same area as the flat. They could easily partition off two bedrooms and have a bit of space for storage and leave the rest open for the twins to use as a play area. She smiled to herself and went over to look out the tiny window at one end. She eyed the ceiling, it wasn't too high, but Ray would be able to easily stand upright in here and not worry about bumping his head. She quickly pulled out her measuring tape and measured the space and with a mental note to come back up and scrub the floor, headed back down into the flat.

She checked the time and realized the kids would be home any minute. She quickly ran a brush through her hair, put her notes on the attic on the computer desk, she'd finish plotting out the rooms later, and headed downstairs to watch for Shaz.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

"Bring them home, have a few things to take care of," Rowan sent back and went back to finishing the order she was cooking. She put the order on the passbar and then grabbed up the day's paperwork and took it upstairs to work on later before going back down to wait for the twins.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Molly held Sam's hand as she walked him over to her place, she fished in her pocket as she went and fired off a text to Peter.

"They nice? Have Sammy, going to ours x"

Sam let go of her hand as she neared her home and ran to the door excitedly, Molly smiled as she reached into her pocket for her keys and went to open the door. Sam made a noise of protest and Molly stopped to look at him, he held out his hand for the keys.

"Can I do it?" he asked her and Molly handed him the key and watched curiously as he stretched and tried each key on the keyring until he found the one that fitted the lock. She felt her smile bloom wider at the look of triumph on his face as he twisted the key and pushed the door open. Molly took the key out and shut the door behind them as she watched him race inside and fall to his knees next to the TV. She chuckled and set up the game for him before handing him one of the controllers as she kept the other.

"I'm gonna win," he announced and she snorted. "I think not Samuel," she said to him as she fixed her gaze on the TV screen.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Charlie watched as Annie quickly negotiated the flat for them. As a writer and doing the radio show he'd had back in Shieldinch, Charlie knew he had a way with words. But Annie had this way of talking people around to her way of thinking. Though, he had to smugly admit, he had managed to talk her around and into becoming his girlfriend.

Annie finally handed some money over and grinned at Charlie as she showed him the keys. He reached over and shook the woman's hand and then followed Annie out of the shop and up to the flat. It would do, he decided as he looked the place over...well...apart from that wallpaper needing repair. He and Annie glanced at each other over what was painted there and then she leaned against him.

"At least there's a bit of furniture, we won't have to do much," she observed.

"That's good because I'm not sure how much savings we have left," he remarked. Annie nudged him.

"We have enough. But there's a bed and a couch and that table and chairs, so just linens and probably dishes are in order."

Charlie let go of her and wandered around the flat again.

"Yeah, I think you're right. I'm going to make use of this couch and sit down before we have to work at the pub again later, I'm tired," he told her. Annie watched him drop his tall frame onto the couch and then went over and curled up with him.

"What a brilliant idea," she said and closed her eyes as he wound an arm around her shoulders.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Lucy sighed as she finally finished for the day. She had managed to get her training officer changed to Blake, or actually, had convinced Blake to request the change. This way she could avoid the Square while she was working and of course, Sergeant Blake was a lot more interesting to work with.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Shaz held Olivia in her arms and the twins things in her free hand as she managed to lock the car and heard them towards the Restaurant. She pushed the door for them and leant against it to hold it open for them to go inside. She looked at Olivia and sighed.

"This would be easier if you'd walk," she told her daughter and Olivia only tightened her grip around Shaz' neck and made a distressed wailing noise. Shaz rolled her eyes and followed the twins inside, she smiled at Rowan as she spotted her and made her way over.

"Hey," she smiled as she placed the twin's stuff on the table and tried to put Olivia down, she sighed in annoyance again as Olivia wailed harder and clung tighter. Shaz relented and let her stay in her arms; anything to avoid a tantrum in public.

She looked back at Rowan. "Ginger's joining us tonight by the way, he didn't want to hang out with Ray and Chris and Simon isn't around tonight," she smiled.

"Hi," Rowan greeted and gave her children swift hugs and gestured them to sit down.

She chuckled at Shaz' comment. "I can't imagine he would want to. I'm sure all they do is complain about you and I anyway," she told Shaz.

Shaz smiled back and nodded in agreement. "Exactly," she smiled. "Watching Torchwood and Doctor is much better than listening to Chris and Ray moan about that sort of stuff," she said.

"I'll see you 7 and I'll come bearing tacos," Rowan said and winked.

"I'll see you later," Shaz smiled as she waved at the twins and smiled as she left.

Shaz settled Olivia back in her car seat and then climbed into the front and drove home.

"Olivia, you have to be good tonight, no playing up while Rowan, Denis,Claire and Ginger are here tonight, okay," she said and Olivia nodded solemnly. "Kay," she promised as Shaz pulled up outside their home and got her and her things out of the car. She set Olivia on the floor and led her into the flat. Seeing as Rowan was bringing tacos all she had to worry about was getting Olivia something to eat.

Once Shaz was gone and the twins were settled, Rowan went to work getting the tacos made. She waved off offers of help from James and kept an eye on the twins as she cooked.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Gene strode home, slammed into the flat and got himself a beer from the fridge before dropping onto the couch.

He glared at the TV as he drained half the can and sighed. He was going to have to figure out how to sort this. He fully intended to talk to the school first thing Monday morning.

Alex sighed as she looked at Gene on the sofa and went to sit next to him.

"Any preference on what to have for dinner?" she asked. "Sammy's having pizza with Molls and Peter," she added. She hated when he got in a mood like this, she had trouble breaking him out of it. She had learnt that it was usually best to let him stew for a bit and then sort himself out in his own time but she hated doing that too. She felt helpless when he was like this.

"Gene," she said a little louder to try to get his attention.

Gene huffed out a breath and looked at Alex.

"Whatever you want," he replied tonelessly and turned back to the television as he took another drink of beer.

Alex sighed heavily and patted his arm lightly as she stood back up. She just couldn't get through to him when he was like this, she supposed it was best to leave him be, but she hated seeing him so upset.

She wandered through to the kitchen and grabbed some pasta from the cupboard and set it cooking before leaning on the counter and turning to watch Gene's back. She hated this!

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Peter glanced at his phone and quickly read Molly's text.

"They seem so," he sent back. "Scottish. Tell Sammy he'll never beat my high score."

He chuckled to himself and finished cleaning up the kitchen. He pulled out his phone as he left the pub and sent off another text to Molly.

"Pizza?"

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Charlie opened his eyes and yawned, blinking at his unfamiliar surroundings and then glanced down at Annie curled in his arms. He nudged her.

"Wake up, I think it's time to go to work," he mumbled as Annie opened her eyes. She groaned and sat up and then stood and stretched.

"Oh, all right," she sighed and then went to quickly splash some cold water on her face before they left.

They both waved at Peggy and Pat as they arrived back at the pub and went behind the bar to get busy.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Ray finally shut off his computer and packed up his folders into a drawer. He had to walk home thanks to his lift to work from Shaz this morning, not that he minded, home wasn't too far away. He poked his head into the other office and smiled at Chris.

"I'm off mate, I'll see you later," he said with a grin as he set off with a nod to Adam as he passed him.

Ray made his way to the Restaurant swiftly and spotted his kids sitting at one of the tables. He waved at Rowan through the hatch and sat himself down with them.

"So, how are my little troublemakers this afternoon?" he asked them as he ruffled Denis' hair affectionately and grinned at Claire across the table.

"Not trubmaker," Denis argued and Claire nodded in agreement.

Ray snorted. "I beg to differ," he told them both with a grin. "You two are very mischievous," he added with a knowing look.

Rowan waved back and finished plating up dinner for Ray and the twins. She carried the plates out and set them down, sliding an arm around Ray's neck and giving him a quick kiss.

"I checked out the attic earlier. It's got a very nice floor up there. It's not going to take much effort to portion it off up there. It covers the full area of the flat, so there's plenty of space for two bedrooms and then the rest can be left open as a play or lounge area," she smiled and then put her lips to his ear.

"I got your surprise, thank you. I'll have to show you my gratitude later," she promised and lifted his face to kiss him more thoroughly. A throat clearing behind her made her straighten up and she quickly turned.

Ray looked up at her puzzled and slightly taken aback by her kiss. He wasn't aware that he'd done anything. He opened his mouth to talk when James interrupted and Ray frowned. The guy always seemed to be hovering around. He knew he worked here but it annoyed Ray somewhat.

"The walk-in is all organized," James said and grinned. "Sorry to interrupt."

Rowan blushed and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, James. We'll see you Sunday," she said.

"See you then," James agreed and nodded at Rowan. He paused and then turned and left. He'd have an easier time talking to her without that great oaf around.

Rowan went back into the kitchen and finished packing up the tacos and then came back out and sat down with her family.

"So, how was work?" she asked as she stole a chip from Ray's plate. He watched Rowan come back and nodded at her.

"Same old, same old," he told her with a grin. "Guv was off today so that leaves me with answering all his calls, I still think he needs to get a new secretary but he refuses after what happened last time," he shrugged. "But I can see his point," he sighed.

"Surely there's a decent officer there who would be willing to work for Gene," Rowan said. "They can't all be like Debbie."

"It's up to Gene though, if he wants help he'll get himself help. But anyway, my day isn't nearly as interesting as what you lot got up to," he said and turned his gaze to the twins. "What amazing creations did we come up with today?" he asked them curiously.

"We singded again," Claire told him and Denis nodded.

"We did dancing too and went to the park," he added.

Ray chuckled. "You see, so much more interesting than my day," he grinned at the twins.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Rowan quickly gathered the dishes and stuck them in the kitchen sink and then herded the twins upstairs. She sent them to their room to change into their pyjamas and get ready to go to Shaz'.

"Okay, so come on up and look this attic over with me for a minute," she said to Ray and pulled down the stairs and climbed up.

Ray held his foot on the bottom step and watched her climb into the attic before following her up. He stood up carefully and smiled when he realised he could go to his full height without hitting his head.

"So, what exactly were you thinking of doing?"

Rowan walked over towards the small window. "Well, there's the one window, so I thought the layout could be a bit like this," she gestured at where she had moved the few boxes to, using them to mark the basic boundaries of where she'd planned. "There would be one room here and one room there, and then," she waved her arms, "this would be the open space, sort of a play area now and then a lounge sort of area later, and this area would have the window," she explained. "Won't take but a bit of cleaning. I can give away all the baby stuff in those boxes and that bed," she pointed, "can go back downstairs. We can use that corner there for a bit of storage space if we need it," she finished and walked over to him and slipped her arms around his waist and looked up at him.

"I think it will work just fine. Now," she said and moved her arms from his waist to his neck so she could pull him down. "I want to thank you for the flowers. They were lovely. Signing them 'Secret Admirer' was cute, I have to admit," she said and kissed him thoroughly.

Ray nodded amiably while she spoke, he was willing to go along with pretty much anything if she had the layout all sorted. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled down at her.

"You're sure that's how you want it," he teased her with a grin.

His eyebrows shot up at her but he kissed her back regardless. "Ro..." he began as she pulled away and sighed as she climbed back down before he could talk.

She sighed as she broke off the kiss. "Now, time for us to go," she said and slipped regretfully from his arm and climbed back down to gather the twins.

Ray grumbled to himself as he clambered down the steps and folded them away. He caught up with her before she reached the twins and pulled on her arm to make her stop.

"I didn't send you any flowers today," he told her gently. "But...if that's all I have to do to get you to kiss me like that then maybe I will in the future," he grinned down at her.

Rowan looked up at him and frowned. She pulled him into the kitchen and pointed at the flowers.

"Well, if you didn't send them, then who did? No one else knows I don't like roses," she told him. Now she felt slightly uneasy.

Ray reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder comfortingly. He smiled at her as he turned her towards her and pulled her closer, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Hey, aren't women supposed to be happy when they find out they have an admirer?" he asked her gently. "It's probably nothing to worry about," he said reassuringly as he kissed her forehead again. "Though if it happens again I may just get jealous," he smiled at her as he let her go.

Rowan smiled indulgently at Ray, but felt the uneasiness still gnawing at her. Who would send her flowers?

She sighed and picked up the container of tacos.

"We better go," she said and went into the front room. "Claire, Denis, c'mon, time to go," she told them and made sure they had their things before herding the giggling pair to the door and down the stairs.

Ray looked after his family as they wandered off and smiled softly before following them out and shutting the door firmly behind him.

Ray watched them all pile into the car and clambered into the front seat.

"Right," he said as he drummed his fingers on the wheel. "Lets be off then," he grinned.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Molly glanced down as her phone went off and she smiled at Peter's text. She made a sound of irritation as Sammy beat her and folded her arms defiantly.

"It's Peter's fault, he texted me and distracted me," she said and Sammy perform a perfect copy of his father's pout.

"You shouldn't have read the text then," he told her with a cheeky grin and Molly nudged him gently.

"Peter says there's no way you'll beat his high score," she challenged him and Sammy grabbed up the controller again eagerly. Molly leant back against the sofa and picked up her phone.

"Awesome, can't wait to see them :) Sammy accepted the challenge :P x"

Molly stood up and left Sam to it as she wandered into her room to grab up her stuff and brought her work back to the front room and settled on the floor next to her brother to work through it as he played the game.

She glanced down at Peter's text and smiled. "I think so :) x" she said and looked at Sammy.

"Peter's bringing home pizza," she told him. "How about I text Mum and tell her that you're staying for tea and we take you home afterward?" she asked and he nodded while his gaze was fixed on the TV screen. Molly sighed. "Sammy, do you want to talk about what's happening at Nursery?" she asked and Sammy resolutely shook his head.

"You sure?" she pressed and he nodded firmly once more and Molly sighed. "Okay," she said as she sent a text to Alex saying Sam was staying for pizza.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Peter chuckled at Molly's reply.

"Thought he might, so thought I'd order his favorite pizza," he sent back and went into the pizza place to pick up his order before heading back to the flat.

"I'm back," he called out as he opened the door of the flat and smiled at Molly and Sammy.

"Got your favorite pizza here," he said to Sammy and carried it into the kitchen to get some plates. "Bet you didn't beat my high score yet," he taunted as he went.

Sammy looked up at the sound of Peter coming in and he thrust the remote at Molly as he ran over and climbed up to sit at the table. "Thanks, Peter," he grinned happily. He frowned and nodded. "Did!" he said defiantly.

"Didn't!" Molly called out, the laugh evident in her voice.

Molly smiled as she turned off the TV and moved over to the table with a smile at Peter. "So, about these new Scottish people?" she asked curiously as she gave him a hug. "What are they like and why are they in Walford?" she asked.

She reached over and put a slice of pizza on Sammy's plate before grabbing one herself and sitting down next to her brother.

"Well," Peter began as he put the plates down and opened the box of pizza, "their names are Charlie and Annie and they seem really nice. Didn't get to talk to Charlie for more than a few minutes really," he told her.

His brow furrowed. "Was that your phone?"

"Ummmm," Molly mumbled as she grabbed her phone from her pocket and looked at the text.

"Whit wants to go to the pub," she smiled. "So we can drop Sammy home once we've finished eating and then head down there?" she suggested.

Peter looked at her and shrugged as he tried to chew his mouthful of pizza.

"Sounds like a plan," he finally managed and nodded. He took a quick drink to clear his mouth and looked at her. "Unless it's just you girls, then maybe I'll just stay here with Sammy."

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Lauren finished up at the office and hurried home.

"How's it going?" she asked Whitney, who was busily sewing.

Whitney looked up. "Fine, so far. I spoke to Bolton at lunch and he's agreed to be the male model, and because he's also working as a DJ, he's going to do DJ style music for us for the show. So, we'll have like a club theme."

"That'll be brilliant," Lauren enthused. "You'll be sure to be a hit at the show then."

"That's what I'm hoping. We're all meeting up here tomorrow morning at 10 so I can fit the clothes and everything."

"Sounds good to me. Why don't we go to the pub and celebrate? I'll give Lucy a call and Molly, see if they can join us," Lauren suggested.

"Okay, but only one or two drinks. I'm only barely breaking even this month and I've had to turn down two orders in order to get things ready for that show."

Lauren nodded. "Sure, no problem. Well, come on then, let's go."

Whitney finished up the seam she was working on and stood up and nodded. She pulled out her phone. "Heading for pub, fancy a drink?"

Lauren grabbed her phone from her pocket and quickly texted Lucy.

Lucy slouched on the couch flipping through channels and glanced over at her phone when it started to beep. She picked it up and her mood perked up a bit as she read Lauren's text.

"On my way," she sent and quickly grabbed her shoes and pulled them on before nearly running out of the flat.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

"So, you go see Dr. Bond tomorrow and then he gets you set up with a midwife or whatever," Jack said as he traced a finger down Alyssa's arm. "Is that the general plan?"

Alyssa nodded gently. "That's the general idea, yeah," she smiled at him as she slung an arm over his chest and cuddled closer to him.

"I'm going to have to make an appointment though, it's not like I can just walk into the surgery, and as tomorrow is a Saturday it's highly likely that his appointments will all be full," she sighed and shrugged. "But it's not like I'm ill," she added lightly as she lifted her head from his chest and looked at his face.

"I'll call and book an appointment, Jack," she promised him.

"Now about this romantic dinner..." she smiled. "Do we have to? Because I'm all for cracking open your stash and staying in bed for the rest of the day," she grinned at him. "And if you want romance, we can always get out the candles and keep the lights off," she added with a small chuckle.

"I am all for breaking into the stash," Jack said and grinned. "I quite like the outfit you have on," he teased and kissed her shoulder before climbing out of bed. "I shall go and fetch my lady some food post haste," he said in a humorous tone and pulled on his dressing gown.

Alyssa chuckled quietly and looked down at herself. "Well, bedsheets are what everyone is wearing nowadays," she teased back as she watched him leave.

Alyssa lay back amongst the pillows comfortably and rested her hand on her stomach. Jack seemed so excited. Now that they had actually made a decision and were actually doing this she was beginning to feel a little excited too. A small laugh escaped her as she reached for her phone on her bedside table and scrolled to the number for the Surgery, she clicked dial and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello, Walford Surgery."

"Hi, I'd like to make an appointment with Doctor Bond, please."

"Hang on."

Alyssa waited patiently and listened to the rustling on the other end of her phone and snuggled down as she did so. She dragged the sheets over her and started slightly as the voice started again on the other end of the phone.

"We've got a free spot on Monday morning, 10:30,"

Alyssa sighed, she knew the chances of a Saturday slot were slim but she would take whatever she could get. "I'll take it," she said.

"Can I take your name please?"

"Alyssa Rimmer."

"Thank you, Mrs Rimmer, we'll see you Monday."

"Thanks."

Alyssa put her phone back on the bedside table and relaxed completely into her bed as she waited for Jack. She sighed impatiently and reached over his side of the bed to his drawer and opened it to grab out a packet of crisps.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jack went to the kitchen and assembled up a tray of sandwich toppings and bread and carefully carried it and a bottle of wine and two glasses upstairs.

He put the tray on the bed and grinned at her.

"Your dinner is served, my lady," he announced and opened the wine. He poured them each a glass and then sat down on the bed and held up his glass.

"To my wonderful wife, who will be the best mum in the world," he said and lifted his glass to her before taking a drink.

Alyssa smiled at him as he came back in and took her glass from the tray and sipped it a little, blushing at his words as she shuffled closer to him and moulded herself to his side.

"Thank you," she told him as she took another small sip of wine.

Alyssa looked at the glass in her hand with a frown and reached over to put it down on the tray again.

"I shouldn't be drinking," she told him with a small smile.

"You're not supposed to drink if you're pregnant are you?" she asked him with a sigh as she picked up the crisp packet again and started munching. "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't, I know Alex, Rowan and Shaz didn't," she sighed.

"You're not drinking a lot," Jack corrected her. "Just this little bit. So, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with that."

He laid out slices of bread on the tray and began to make her a sandwich. "You definitely shouldn't do it on an empty stomach, though," he said and handed her the sandwich before making one for himself.

Alyssa smiled at him as she took the sandwich from him and took the top slice of bread off and put some crisps inside before putting the top slice back on top again. She took a large bite and smiled at him.

"I made the appointment," she told him. "The only space is Monday at 10:30," she added with a shrug. "So I took that one," she smiled.

Alyssa gave him a sidelong look. "I'm pretty sure that's around break-time at the school right? So if you want to come along you can," she said to him as she reached for the wine glass again and shuffled up the bed to grab the TV remote from his bedside table. She passed it to him with a grin as she slid back under the covers and pulled the sheet up around her chest.

"I'd love to go, if you're sure you don't mind," he said and smiled. He shifted the tray so they didn't get crumbs all over the bedclothes and nodded his thanks as he took the remote. He quickly flipped through until he found a show they both liked and settled back with his arm around her to watch.

"Of course not," she smiled at him as she settled against him.

"Besides, if you're planning on beating Ray then you're going to have to go to almost every appointment," she grinned up at him.

"I can manage that. He missed her scan after all. So it shouldn't be that difficult," Jack noted smugly and reached over to grab some crisps from the bag.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/

Whitney and Lauren walked into the pub arm and arm, giggling over nothing. They approached the bar and Lauren went strangely silent. Whitney looked at her and then looked at what Lauren was looking at: a tall, somewhat lanky, dark haired man Whitney had never seen before who was standing there smiling at them.

"What can I get you?" he asked and Whitney's eyebrows went up before glancing at Lauren again. Scottish, too, she observed.

"Two white wines," Whitney ordered and nudged Lauren.

"Stop staring," she hissed as the man turned to get their wine. Lauren looked at Whitney.

"He's cute," she breathed back and looked over at him again.

"So, I've not seen you in here before," Lauren called over to him. He shook his head at her as he brought the drinks over.

"No, I'm Charlie, just started today," he told her and took the money Whitney handed to him.

"Nice to meet you, Charlie. I'm Lauren and this is Whitney," Lauren introduced. Charlie nodded to both of them and handed Whitney her change.

"Nice to meet you," he said back and went to serve the next person.

Whitney snorted a small chuckle as she and Lauren headed for a table and waited for Lucy.

"James being replaced in your affections already?" Whitney asked her as she took a sip of her wine.

"No, not replaced. You can fancy more than one bloke you know, Whit," Lauren corrected her.

"If you say so," Whitney shrugged and took another drink of her wine.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Molly frowned slightly "I hadn't thought of that" she said as she sent off a text to Whitney.

"Just girls? Peter wants to know :)"

Sammy watched Molly and Peter curiously before absorbing himself in his slice of pizza, eating it up greedily before looking pleadingly at Molly. Molly grinned at him and got him another slice.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney grabbed up her phone and read Molly's text.

"Should it just be us girls tonight?" she asked. Lauren and Lucy shrugged.

"Why?" Lauren wanted to know.

"I guess Peter won't come if it's just girls," Whitney replied.

"You should say no. I mean, if Bolton does show up, he's not going to want to sit by himself with a table of just girls is he?"

Whitney looked at Lauren and burst out laughing. "I bet he would," she shot back and Lauren giggled.

"You're probably right."

"I'm hoping Bolton might stop in but otherwise seems just girls," she sent back.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Chris pressed a quick kiss to Shaz' lips and kissed the top of Olivia's head.

"So, see you later," he said to her. "Don't go too overboard," he teased and gave her a wink. He opened the door and blurted out a laugh at the sight of Ginger standing there ready to knock.

"Go on in, mate," he said and stepped aside so Ginger could go in.

"Shaz, Ginger's here," he called over his shoulder and headed out.

Ginger made sure the door was shut and held up a bag.

"I brought cans," he sing-songed.

Olivia looked up at Ginger briefly from her position on Shaz' lap then made a disgruntled noise when Shaz dumped her onto the sofa cushions next to her instead before standing.

"Nice one!" she smiled "I've got cans too, and bottles" she laughed as she took them from him and put them in the fridge to keep them cool.

"I've also got out my entire Science Fiction collection" she said as she pointed to the range of DVD's on the floor near the TV with a chuckle

"Entire collection," Ginger echoed. "I thought there was just mention of John Barrowman," he added as he looked over the DVDs.

"Did you see the episodes of 'Desperate Housewives' he was in?" Ginger asked and put a hand to his forehead and sighed as if swooning. "You should see them."

She shook her head at him, eyes wide "No, I never got into anything like that!" she half-squealed "I am going to have to check that out!" she said excitedly and Olivia looked up with a smile.

"I'll loan you my box set," he offered. "It's worth watching."

Shaz beamed at him. "Brilliant," she smiled at him and clapped her hands.

"We won't be watching all of the sci fi, but I can guarantee we will be watching Torchwood, and maybe some Doctor Who.." she said as she looked over her collection.

"Extermate!" she cried out "Sink men!"

Shaz turned around and smiled at Olivia before turning back to Ginger. "She calls Daleks Sink Men because we were watching Doctor Who this one time while Chris was trying to unblock the sink with a plunger, and obviously, Daleks..." she trailed off with a shrug and imitated them.

Ginger couldn't help but chuckle at what Shaz said. "That seems a reasonable assumption to me," he said and opened a beer. He glanced up at the clock.

"Rowan should be here soon, I hope. I'm hungry," he half-whined.

Shaz shrugged. "She's got to get the twins sorted," she sighed. "And they can be a bit of a handful, not to mention Ray," she chuckled as she nudged him. "Stop pouting and crack open a can," she said to him.

Ginger shoved out his lip in an excessive pout and then chuckled before taking a drink of his beer.

Shaz looked up as she heard an engine outside on the drive and grinned at Ginger as she placed a hand on his shoulder to help ease herself off the sofa.

"I think our dinner just arrived," she grinned at him as she moved to the door and opened it to let everyone inside.

Ginger mock-glared at her as she used his shoulder to push herself up and nudged her in the behind with his foot as she went to the door.

Ray looked at Shaz expectantly as she stood outside and she shook her head. Rowan waved at Shaz and turned to help the twins out of the car.

"Chris already left, Ray," she told him. Ray nodded and climbed out the car anyway, he pressed the keys into Rowan's hand and kissed her cheek. He looked into the back and pressed the buttons to release the twins from their car seats.

"Right, I'm off to the pub to see Chris, you two be good for your Mam and Shaz," he told them. "And play nice with Olivia," he added before kissing them both affectionately on their foreheads and ambling off down the road.

Shaz smiled at Rowan as she headed out and took the keys from her to lock the car once the twins had got out. She watched everyone go into her home and shut the door behind them.

Olivia stood up on the sofa as soon as she saw Claire and Denis and giggled in delight. Shaz sighed as she placed Rowan's keys on the side and stood with her hands on her hips.

Olivia stared at her mother for a moment before sitting back down, mumbling to herself.

Rowan glanced over at Shaz, her mouth twitching with amusement and nudged the twins out of her way before fending off Ginger who had hurried over and was reaching greedily for the container with the tacos.

"Will you stop!" she growled and he widened his eyes and tried to look pathetic.

"That doesn't work when the twins do it and they're cuter than you are," she told him, her tone full of indifference and Ginger let his shoulders drop as he sighed. She glanced over and then caught Shaz' eye and nodded towards the couch where Denis was politely helping Olivia down so they could go play. Claire watched her brother lead Olivia away and then walked over to her mother.

"Can I has a taco?" she asked.

"No, you had your dinner," Rowan told her. "But if you behave you can have a snack later."

Claire looked at her a moment and then finally nodded. "I go then," she told her and then put her hands on her hips and waited.

Rowan stopped unpacking the lettuce and cheese and tomatoes to put on the tacos and looked down at her daughter. "What?"

"I say I go," Claire huffed.

"Well, then go," Rowan said to her. Claire narrowed her eyes and Rowan thinned her lips.

"Have fun," she finally said and Claire nodded and flounced away. Rowan closed her eyes and sighed then turned to Ginger and glared at him as he snorted with laughter.

"Just shut up or you don't get any tacos," she threatened. Ginger widened his eyes and quickly rolled his lips under his teeth to show his willingness to shut up.

Rowan looked at Shaz. "He had to be invited here why?"

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Chris walked up to the pub the same time as Lucy and politely held the door open for her.

"After you, PC Beale," he said and grinned.

"Thank you, DS Skelton," she said and went inside. She spotted Lauren and Whitney right away and went to sit down.

"So, what's up?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Not much, Lauren's busy ogling the new bloke behind the bar," Whitney quipped and Lauren blushed and frowned. Lucy glanced over.

"Not bad," she commented. "Anything on this weekend? I've actually got the weekend off if you can believe it," Lucy remarked.

"Molly, Lauren and Bolton are helping me get ready for a show Saturday morning, but other than that, I don't know. You want the party info, you have to talk to Fatboy," Whitney told her. "He always knows where they are."

"Bolton , interesting name."

"Remember that guy I was with at that party…the one with Molly?"

Lucy gazed at the ceiling for a bit and then nodded. "Oh, yeah, have you two been a couple all this time?"

"No," Whitney snorted. "I only ran into him again the other day. Seems he's living here and working at that boxing club Phil Mitchell started."

Lucy nodded and then grinned and wriggled her eyebrows. "So, you meeting him here tonight?"

Whitney shrugged. "I didn't invite him or anything. But if he shows up and wants to hang out, well, I won't mind," she said and sighed. "I just, I don't think he likes me, you know, that way. I got the impression when I met up with him at lunch to talk over doing this show for me that he wants us to just be mates," she explained and took a sip of her wine. "But that's okay. I'm sure I could do without boyfriend complications at the minute."

Lauren snorted. "You fancy him and you know it."

Whitney made a face. "Well, it don't matter, cause he doesn't fancy me."

Lauren and Lucy shared a look but remained silent.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Molly showed Peter the text then took her phone back and fired another one off.

Peter read the text and rolled his eyes. "I'll stay here. Why don't you text your mum and Sam can stay in the spare room," he said. "If he wants to stay that is."

"Did you invite Bolton?" she sent.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

"No, but it's a pub he might show up," Whitney sent back.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Molly smiled and nodded then looked at Sammy, she opened her mouth but he piped up before she could talk.

"Please!" Sammy said and she smiled at Peter.

"Sure, you be good for Peter though while I'm out," she told him and he nodded and mumbled something as he took a huge bite of pizza. Molly looked at him questioningly.

"What?"

Sammy looked up at her and smiled conspiratorially."Beat his high score," he said and grinned at them.

Molly smiled and finished up her pizza then kissed Sam's head and leaned over to kiss Peter

"See you boys later," she grinned as she grabbed up her bag and headed out.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Peter remarked and mussed Sammy's hair.

He grinned up at Molly and kissed her back.

"Later. Don't forget to let your mum know he's staying," Peter called after her.

Sammy did a perfect imitation of his father's scowl as he reached up a hand and flatted his hair back down

Molly grinned at Sam and nodded at Peter. "I will," she smiled as she pulled out her phone and fired off the text to Alex.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex placed the tray of food on Gene's lap as she sat down next to him. She had no intention of dragging him out of his mood to coax him to the dinner table so had decided to let him sit where he was on the sofa. She took a seat across the room and pulled out her phone. She sighed and sent back an "ok" to Molly.

"Sam is staying with Molls and Peter tonight," she informed him as she started to eat glumly.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

"I'm going for a round, you want anything?" Lucy offered.

"Nope, still good," Whitney said.

Lauren looked at hers. "Yeah, go on then."

Lucy nodded and went to the bar.

"What can I get you?" Annie asked her.

"Two white wines, please," she said and put her money on the bar.

"So, how do you like the job so far?" Chris asked her. He shouldn't have left so early; he was getting bored waiting for Ray. But Ray was usually the early one. Lucy looked at Chris in surprise.

"I like it, yeah, thanks. I've got Sergeant Blake now as my mentor," she told him.

Chris nodded. "I've heard he's good."

"He's a bit sharp, not sure he entirely approves of women officers, but I'm learning a lot more," she told him. He gazed at her steadily for a moment and she chuckled.

"And yes, his beat is a lot more exciting. I've had a domestic and two robberies and a mugging so far. I actually caught the mugger," she added proudly.

"Nice one," Chris congratulated and Lucy beamed. He watched Annie put the glasses of wine down and then waved his hand as Annie went to pick up Lucy's money.

"I'll get that," he offered. "Bet no one's bought you a proper welcome drink."

"Well, no not really, thanks," she said and put her money back in her pocket. Chris shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. Lucy took the drinks back to the table.

"He's certainly nice," she remarked.

"Who?" Lauren wanted to know.

"That DS Skelton. He's probably been one of the nicest people to me since I started."

"Too many people remembering the old Lucy?" Whitney asked curiously. Lucy considered for a moment and then nodded.

"That's entirely possible," she finally admitted. "Now, is this Bolton going to show up, do you reckon?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

"So, you're with the police then?" Annie asked Chris curiously.

Chris nodded. "DS Chris Skelton," he introduced himself and Annie gave his hand a quick shake. "I'm Annie and that's Charlie, my boyfriend," she told him.

"You're new here," he stated.

"Well spotted," she teased and Chris chuckled.

"Well, I am a detective," he told her.

"Did you want another pint?" she asked.

"I'll wait till my mate gets here," he said with a small shake of his head. She nodded and went to take care of someone else.


	4. Chapter 4

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 4**

Shaz smiled as she watched Denis lead Olivia away and chuckled lightly at Claire. She turned back to Rowan with a smile and a shrug.

"He shares our love for John Barrowman, and he's lonely without Simon," she chuckled as she passed Rowan some plates and pointed to the fridge.

"Help yourself to beer," she smiled.

Shaz turned to Ginger and gave him a playful smack on his shoulder. "And you, stop winding her up, otherwise she might not feed you!" she grinned. "And woe betide you if your rumbley tummy distracts us from our marathon," she said.

"Awwww, poor Ginger. Don't expect too much sympathy on my part," Rowan said and gestured him to help himself to the tacos finally. She walked to the fridge and got herself a beer and then nodded along.

"I won't put up with any rumbling stomach noises, so you best behave," she said to Ginger, who was already stuffing his face.

He carefully finished chewing his mouthful. "With food this good, I will only be in danger of stuffing myself to the point of explosion," he told her and took another huge bite. Rowan looked and Shaz and put a soppy expression on her face.

"He's such a nice boy," she remarked and patted Ginger's cheek. "He says such nice things about my food."

She winked at Shaz and went into the front room.

"So, where did we leave off last time?" Rowan asked as he picked up DVD cases. She held up a case. "I think we're on this one aren't we?"

Shaz glanced at the DVD case as she picked another taco off her plate and looked at the cover. She smiled as she nodded. "I think we got about half-way through before I fell asleep," she admitted with a chuckle.

Ginger took advantage of Rowan distracting Shaz to grab three more tacos onto his plate. He picked up his beer and sat down on the couch, chewing happily as he watched them discuss the DVDs.

Shaz shot a look at Ginger and frowned. "I saw that," she murmured to him as she sat herself down on the sofa and curled her legs underneath her. She took a quick look at the time and sighed, she would need to keep an eye out for when to put Olivia to bed. She had at least an hour before she absolutely _had _to be in bed.

Ginger put on an expression of excessive innocence and Rowan chuckled. She quickly sat down and grabbed up her plate, keeping one ear out for the twins.

She brushed her hands off as she reached for her can and took a sip, she replaced it and grabbed up the remote as Rowan put the DVD into the player.

"Here we go" she said gleefully.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Molly walked up to the pub and smiled as she spotted Ray coming from the opposite direction.

"Hey, Ray," she smiled. "How're the twins?" she asked. "And Rowan? I haven't been to the Restaurant in ages," she said and Ray smiled.

"Good, ta, Molly, you alright?" he asked as he opened the door to the pub and stood back to let her go first. Molly stepped through the door first and Ray followed behind her, his gaze instantly finding Chris at the bar.

"Yeah, fine," she said back absently as she left him and weaved her way towards her friends.

"Boo," she said with a smile as she took the seat by Whitney.

Ray headed towards Chris and leant against the bar. "I was planning on picking you up and driving down here, but now I think about it, it's probably a good idea to walk back to yours," he said with a sigh. "Ro will have to drive home," he added.

Annie walked over as Ray sat down.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she asked him brightly and looked at Chris. "I assume you'll want another now that your mate is here?" she added. Chris nodded and put the money on the bar.

"Ta, love," he said and looked at Ray.

"My round," he said. "You're sure Ro doesn't mind being the designated driver?" Chris asked.

Ray shrugged. "If I return unable to drive safely then she won't have much choice," he said back. "I'll make it up to her if she is mad at me for it," he added with a grin.

Ray looked up at the barmaid and then back at Chris. "When did the Vic get new staff."

"We started just today," Annie told him. "Charlie and I," she added and gestured where Charlie was getting Whitney a glass of wine.

"Now, if you're done discussing me, what can I get you?" she joked.

Ray looked up at Annie, he'd briefly forgotten she was standing there.

"Sorry love, pint please," he said with a small grin at her.

Annie winked at him. "It's fine, I get used to it,"she told him and poured their drinks.

Chris thanked her and glanced over at Lucy before looking back at Ray.

"So, new PC, what do you reckon?" he asked. "I know I heard she'd been a troublemaker in the past, but she seems all right. They seem to be being a bit rough on her, though."

Ray glanced over at Lucy and shrugged at Chris. "I've seen her around but not really met her," he said. "She's Peter Beale's sister though, I know that much. I used to see her a bit when Peter worked for Ro in the Cafe," he told him.

He sighed. "They always go hard on the new kid Chris, you know that," he frowned.

"Yeah...but..." he trailed off and shrugged. Ray would just think he was going too soft if he said he thought they were being harder on Lucy than usual. She seemed to be bearing up, he had to admit.

"Nemmind. So, what's new with you?"

Ray shrugged. "Not much, Ro wants to convert the attic for the kids, into a bedroom for them," he told him. "She's got the design all sorted, we've just got to get round to sorting it out," he said with a small smile.

"Nice one," Chris commented. "At least you don't have to move. Finding that new flat to keep Shaz happy was a nightmare, mate," he told him.

Ray shrugged. "Shaz is a nightmare anyway," he grinned and nudged Chris lightly to show he was teasing.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Whitney turned when she heard Molly and smiled up at her.

"So, Bolton has agreed to help out with the show. It's sure to be good now. He's going to model and DJ so I'll have like a club theme," she said.

Lucy put her glass down and glanced at Lauren. "And Lauren fancies the new barman," she added.

"Stop!" Lauren hissed and blushed.

Lucy and Whitney chuckled at Lauren's discomfiture. "She does."

Molly glanced at Whitney suspiciously and nodded. "That's good," she commented as she continued to watch her friend's face.

Molly grinned at Lucy and Lauren then glanced over at the bar, she caught sight of the barman and then looked back at Lauren.

"You have good taste!" she said. "But what about James?" she prodded.

Lauren shrugged. "You can fancy more than one bloke at a time. It's not like James even notices I'm alive," Lauren said with a sigh.

Lucy shook her head. "Yeah, and what makes you think Cute Scottish Bartender will? That's his girlfriend he's working with."

Lauren shot a frown and Lucy and stuck out her tongue.

Molly looked back at Whitney. "So, whats going on with Bolton?" she asked curiously.

Whitney shrugged. "I don't know. But I get the impression after lunch earlier today with him that he just wants to be mates. It's fine. He's cool so I don't mind being mates with him."

She glanced down at her watch. "In fact, I can only stay here another hour tops. I've a lot to get done so I can spend tomorrow working on the stuff for the show."

"We'll drink the drinks for you that you couldn't have," Lauren offered and Whitney made a face.

"Thanks so much," she snorted sarcastically.

"Sure, happy to help. Would you like us to snog Bolton for you if he shows up after you leave?" she teased and Whitney's jaw dropped.

"Don't you dare do anything!" Whitney gasped.

"I was only joking!"

Whitney took a deep breath and drained her wine. "I'll get myself one more and maybe, just maybe I won't tell that bloke that you fancy him," Whitney threatened and headed for the bar.

"Whit!" Lauren gulped and looked at Molly and Lucy. "She wouldn't. She knows I wouldn't do anything. I was kidding. She knows that…right?"

Molly gave Whitney a sympathetic smile and patted her arm gently.

Molly shrugged. "Maybe," she smiled. "But now we know that she's not at all happy with being just mates with Bolton," she said with a grin. "We may have to do some matchmaking."

Lauren raised her eyebrow at Molly and grinned conspiratorially. "You think so?" she asked, mischief in her tone and looked at Lucy.

Lucy looked from Lauren to Molly and then over at Whitney at the bar. A wicked smiled curved the corners of her mouth. "Oh, definitely."

Molly grinned excitedly and drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully as she watched Whitney's back.

Whitney thanked Charlie and came back with her wine. Her brow furrowed as she took in the expressions on her friends faces.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," Lauren replied dismissively. "They were having another go at me about Cute Scottish Barman," she added.

Whitney nodded. "Well, I didn't say a word, so you're welcome."

"Good thing, cause I'd have to kill you if you did," Lauren retorted.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rowan finished her second beer and went to toss the can in the recycle bin. She turned to go back into the front room to see Denis standing behind her.

"Tummy hurts," he complained and she saw his expression change just in time to snatch him up and hold him over the sink. She groaned and quickly rinsed off his face before putting him back down and then cleaned up Shaz' sink.

She picked him back up again and walked into the front room.

"Looks like Denis isn't feeling well. I better take them home. Will you survive the Barrowman fest without me?" she asked and peered into Olivia's room long enough to gesture at Claire they were leaving. Claire, realizing her brother was sick, soberly nodded and picked up the small bags they had brought.

Ginger got up and got the door for Rowan.

"Thanks, Marc," he said and put Denis down long enough to give Shaz a hug.

Olivia followed Claire out curiously and watched Rowan go with Denis and Claire. She sighed and then sat herself down on the floor, a yawn escaping her as she picked up one of her toys from the floor and began to play again.

Shaz sighed and nodded.

"Well, two episodes is better than none," she remarked and picked her son up again and headed out to the car to take them home.

"We'll do it again next week, or whenever," she smiled as she waved.

She shut the door behind Rowan and looked over at Ginger with a shrug.

Ginger grabbed two more cans from the fridge and dropped onto the couch. He put one down in front of her.

"Maybe you should put yours to bed and then we can seriously start drinking," he suggested and grinned mischievously.

Shaz smiled and looked over at the floor at Olivia.

"Livvy," she sang and Olivia looked up curiously. "Bedtime, sweetheart," she smiled and Olivia held up her arms.

"Story?" she asked as Shaz moved around the sofa and picked her up. "A quick one, though," she said back as she carried Olivia into her room and put her into her bed. Shaz grabbed up a book and read Olivia a story.

Shaz closed the book with a small smile and stroked her daughter's head, then reached over to put her CD player on quietly: that way if the TV was making too much noise Olivia would not hear it over the soothing music. Shaz stood off the bed and replaced the book on the shelf and crept out of the room. Closing the door behind her.

"Right," she said as she sat back down next to Ginger and grabbed up her beer and gave Ginger the remote.

Ginger held up his can and tapped Shaz' with it.

"Let's get car-parked," he suggested and drank down the can in one go. He let out a long sigh and smiled before going to get several more cans from the fridge and arraying them on the coffee table. He sat down next to Shaz again and put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her tight.

"We'll be like Thelma and Louise, jumping off the cliff of drunkeness," he told her and kissed her cheek sloppily before letting her go and cracking open another can.

He looked back over at Shaz and winked. "I'll be Thelma."

Shaz chuckled and grabbed up her can and took a large gulp.

"Fine," she said with a laugh and she took another gulp and finished the can then squashed it and put it on the floor. Shaz eyed the cans lined up on the table and then looked back at Ginger with a grin, she leant towards him and tapped his shoulder.

"I bet I can down my share of those faster than you!" she challenged him as she prodded his shoulder again.

Ginger looked at her.

"Oh, you are on," he accepted her challenge and grabbed up another beer.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Ray fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone with a sigh "Give him a hug from me x"

He looked up at Chris. "Denis is poorly, looks like I'm walking home, you don't mind me leaving the car at yours?" he asked.

Chris frowned in sympathy.

"Why not just phone a taxi?" he asked. "And why would you leave the car at ours? Surely Rowan would have driven the kids home," Chris wondered. He looked at Ray. "How many have you had, mate?" he asked jokingly.

Ray frowned at Chris and punched his shoulder lightly in retaliation.

"Shurrup," he said and pointed at his glass. "Look, haven't had that much!" he added as he grabbed up the glass and took a gulp.

"You've had enough," Chris shot back. "Oi, blondie, how much has he had?"

Annie whipped around and looked at Chris. She opened her mouth but Charlie got there first.

"What did you say?"

Chris blanched. "Sorry, mate. Just banter."

Charlie frowned but went back to what he was doing. Annie frowned at Charlie.

"I can handle myself," she snapped and looked at Ray and Chris.

"I think you should get a taxi," she told them.

Ray frowned at the man behind the bar and looked back at the girl.

"Yeah, Ro's not gonna be 'appy," he said with a sigh as he heaved himself up off his seat and planted his feet firmly on the floor.

"'mm gonna walk, s'not that far," he told Chris as he stumbled carefully through the bar to the door.

Chris nodded and slid off his own barstool and grabbed the bar to stop himself falling.

"Laters, mate," he said and staggered off towards his flat.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rowan sighed as she let herself into the flat. She sat Denis on the kitchen counter in case he got sick again and made him some chai tea. She put Claire to bed and then sat with Denis while he drank his tea and then put him to bed then texted Ray that she'd had to come home already because Denis had been ill.

She looked around the empty flat for a moment, her gaze stopping a moment on the mysterious flowers. She frowned and went into the kitchen and threw them in the bin before heading for bed.

Ray twisted the lock in the door in the flat as quietly as he could and let himself in. His foot connected with a toy that had been left lying around and he swore under his breath as he shut the door a little louder than he'd intended.

Ray put the lock back across and made his way to the bedroom. He poked Rowan as he got into bed behind her and pulled her close.

"Ows Denisss?" he mumbled to her.

Rowan rolled over and winced at the smell of beer coming off Ray.

"He's fine, Ray, go to sleep," she told him and shifted around to get comfortable again.

Ray grunted and rolled onto his back, he shut his eyes as he pulled the covers up closer and grunted again before falling asleep

/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Whitney sighed as she looked around. She had quite hoped Bolton might turn up. She laughed along with the others at a joke Lucy told them and drained her glass.

"I should get going. Lots to do," she said around a yawn.

"Okay, I'll be quiet coming in," Lauren promised and Whitney nodded. She looked at Molly.

"See you at 10am sharp," Whitney said to remind her and then headed for the door.

Molly grinned up at Whitney and nodded.

"Promise," she smiled and then waved her off.

Molly looked at the others with a sigh. "I'd better get going too, I've got to drop Sam home in the morning before going to Whits," she said and drained her glass.

"Sees yas later," she smiled as she headed off.

Molly crept into the house and glanced in the spare room to check on her brother. She smiled as she headed over and turned off the bedside light that he had been using, she shut the door behind her and went along to her room, she shed her clothes and crept into bed next to Peter with a sleepy sigh.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan waved to the twins and went back inside the restaurant.

"How goes the plan for the attic conversion?" James asked as he walked up behind Rowan, causing her to drop the pan she was holding.

"James! Please don't creep up on me!"

James chuckled. "I wasn't creeping, honest."

She punched him in the shoulder and he cringed back.

"Awww, it's so cute when you two start flirting," Syed teased.

Rowan rolled her eyes. "Don't you start."

"Yes, Rowan knows she's the love of my life, and we'll run off together one day," James sighed dramatically and pretended to swoon.

Rowan groaned.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Jack slogged excitedly through his paperwork. Soon, it would be time for Alyssa's appointment. He knew it was just a preliminary for a referral, but still, it was exciting.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Shaz wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes slightly. Chris had opted to drop the Twins and Olivia off this morning so she was the one that had to be in work early. She grabbed down a mug and yawned as she sat on the counter and waited for the kettle to boil. She glanced out the door and saw Ginger wander into the office. She bit her lip and shuffled back so that he wouldn't see her in the kitchen.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Alyssa smiled excitedly. She had worked yesterday's shift for Tanya in order for Tanya to take today's shift for her. She just didn't think that she'd be able to concentrate today. She was far too excited. She glanced down at the time and grabbed up her bag, firing off a text to Jack as she slammed the door behind her.

"On way to Surgery now :D"

She pocketed her phone and smiled as she headed towards the Surgery and sat down inside to wait for her turn and Jack to show up.

Alyssa looked up at the nurse at the desk as her name was called and sighed.

"Can we wait for a bit please? My husband still isn't here" she explained. She watched the nurse look at her watch, tut and then reluctantly nod.

Alyssa tapped her fingers anxiously on her knee as she fiddled with her phone.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ginger looked around, glad he couldn't see Shaz. He had no idea what to say to her after Friday night. He still wasn't sure how what had happened had actually happened. He went back to his desk and stared blankly at his computer.

Shaz sighed as Ginger vanished from view. She was pretty sure what had happened _had _happened, but her memories were hazy, and she wasn't entirely sure _how _it had happened. She looked at the kettle as it boiled and made herself a mug of coffee.

Shaz dawdled in the kitchen for a moment, she didn't really want to but she couldn't stay in the kitchen all day. She wandered out of the kitchen with her mug and glanced at Ginger's desk for the briefest of moments as she made her way to her own desk. She glanced up at him again as she sat down.

"Morning," she mumbled to him.

Ginger glanced up as Shaz went to her desk.

"Morning," he greeted, his voice barely audible. He gazed at her for a few moments and then walked over to her desk.

"Look, Shaz, um, I'm...uh...I'm sorry," he told her. "I'm not sure how what happened actually happened."

He scrubbed at his face and then stared at his feet and sighed.

Shaz looked up at him and swallowed anxiously.

"Alcohol, a lot of alcohol," she muttered and her hand flew to her mouth, she started biting her thumb nail as she watched him.

"We tell no one, and it never happened," she told him decisively with a sharp nod. "I'm just relieved that Olivia stayed asleep all night," she mumbled.

"Well...we're agreed on that score at any rate," he remarked. "And yeah...I'd like to just forget it happened if it's all the same, not that it wasn't...I mean...but...well...I'm gay and you're a woman and..." he trailed off and heaved a heavy sigh.

"What I wouldn't give for some Retcon right now," he groaned.

Shaz chuckled at him and shook her head. "It's fine, Marc," she said softly. "I'm not offended, it shouldn't have happened," she told him.

"Or the TARDIS, go back and stop drinking while we still had some control," she sighed.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Lucy stood outside the door, holding the files she was carrying tight to keep from dropping them the way her jaw had dropped open. She took a quick peek around the door. They were definitely talking about what she thought they were talking about. She heard voices down the hall and quickly crept away from the door just in time to see Chris come around the corner.

"Morning," he greeted her. She nodded.

"Morning. Um, they asked me to bring these files over," she said and held them out to him.

"Ta very much. They going easy on you today?"

She shrugged. "I'm not going to complain. I'll just keep ignoring it until it goes away."

"Probably for the best," he agreed and gave her a small wave before continuing down the hall. Lucy watched him go, wondering if she should tell him what she knew...that his wife had shagged a fellow officer. She bit her lip. The old Lucy would be immediately plotting to use the information to her advantage, but Lucy was trying to change that image of herself. She sighed and went back to join up with Blake.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

"Got the kids dropped off fine," Chris announced as he entered the main room. He looked at Ginger and Shaz and chuckled. "Are you two still talking about your sci-fi shows?"

Ginger flushed, but tried to force it away before looking at Chris.

"Yeah, you caught us," he gave a nervous laugh and walked back to his desk. "Better quit goofing off and get to work."

Shaz looked up at Chris and attempted a smile as she sat back in her chair and pulled her gaze away from Ginger.

"How's Denis? He got ill on Friday," she told him and kept her eyes firmly fixed on her husband and off Ginger.

Chris shrugged. "He seemed fine to me. Must have got better over the weekend."

Ginger glanced over at them and then back at his screen.

Chris put half the files on Shaz' desk. "That PC trainee Beale brought them over."

Shaz nodded at Chris. "Good," she smiled at him. "He wasn't well on Friday at all."

She looked at the files and sighed heavily. "Okay," she said as she looked at them disdainfully. She hated paperwork at the moment, and there always seemed to be more of it. She half-smiled at Chris as she grabbed the top file

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Jack read Alyssa's text and smiled.

"Leaving in a minute," he sent back and quickly piled his papers aside and stood up. He walked out of the office and came face to face with an angry looking teacher and two students. He sighed. He clearly wasn't going anywhere.

Charlie frowned as he looked out on the Square. He had the day off but he didn't know what he wanted to do. He wasn't all that impressed with London. He missed Shieldinch and his friends. He wanted to go home.

He knew they'd only been here a few days, but he still wasn't warming to it. Annie seemed right at home.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Jack stepped away from the argument for a moment. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Crisis at school-gonna be late," he hurriedly sent. He sighed and went back to it. He hated having to leave Alyssa in the lurch.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Whitney yawned hugely and looked at the rack where she had hung the finished outfits. Three "party" dresses, a formal, a business dress, a men's suit and a men's "party" outfit. She rubbed at her eyes. She stood up and hung the nightgown on the rack and then stretched.

She glanced at the clock and went upstairs to get herself a cup of tea before Jodie arrived.

"Late, late, late, late, late," Lauren muttered as she ran into the kitchen. She gave Whitney a little wave and grabbed up her bag.

"Byeeee," she sang as she ran out the door. Whitney waved but found her head drooping to the table. She was so tired! Her head snapped sharp upright at the sound of the bell. Jodie had arrived. She walked to the door and picked up the handset.

"Jodie?"

"Lemmee in," Jodie said into the speaker. Whitney hit the button.

"Come in, Jodes," she yawned and put the handset back down. She dropped back onto the chair and pillowed her head on her arms on the table.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\

Annie walked up behind Charlie and slid her arms around his waist.

"Morning, darlin'," she greeted. Charlie grunted.

Annie slid around in front of him and looked up at him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Charlie sighed. "I'm just not sure this is the place for us."

"Charlie, I thought you were starting to like it here. We've only been here a few days, can't you give it a chance?"

"I'm trying, Annie, I really am, I just...I miss home. All this traveling around, it's not my lifestyle," he told her.

"But you're a writer, how are you going to find things to write about if you don't travel around and experience them?"

Charlie's shoulders slumped. "I know, Annie, but..."

"But nothing, Charlie. We talked it over and we both agreed this would be for the best, that it's what we both wanted."

"I know what I said..."

"So, I don't get what's wrong," she broke in again. "I like the pub, I like the people we've met so far. Don't you?"

"I don't know," he huffed. He was tired of the way she kept interrupting him. "Look, today's my day off. I'll wander around and see. But, I just don't know about staying Annie."

"Fine, do what you like," Annie snapped and threw her hands up in the air. "I have to get to work."

She stalked out of the flat, slamming the door behind her. She really liked Charlie, but she hadn't realized how staid and sort of...boring...he could be. She shook her head as she hurried to the pub.

Charlie watched Annie slam out of the flat. He knew he was disappointing her, but he really wasn't sure he was happy here at all. He went into the bathroom to have a shower and think about what he was going to do today.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Alyssa grabbed out her phone and read Jack's text. She sighed heavily and her smile faded completely. She glanced up at the nurse and nodded reluctantly. The nurse swept around the desk and pointed at Simon's door.

Alyssa heaved herself up out of the cold plastic chair and knocked gently on Dr Bond's door. She wished Jack was with her, she could only imagine how excited he would be. She knew he would be upset to have missed it. It was times like this that she hated his job. But then the 6 weeks holiday he got every year made up for it. She shook her head and sighed as she went into Dr Bonds office and took a seat.

"So, Mrs. Rimmer, what seems to be the trouble?" Simon asked.

Alyssa smiled at Simon.

"There isn't a problem, exactly," she told him. "I'm pregnant," she said, letting her grin spread over her face. "Jack insisted that I come for a check up, but it seems he can't make it," she sighed.

"Well, congratulations. Let's give you a bit of a physical and then I'll get you a referral," he said brightly and picked up the cuff to check her blood pressure.

Alyssa sat in front of Simon once all of his examinations were complete and raised her eyebrows at him.

"So?" she asked him.

Simon gazed at Alyssa steadily for a few minutes and got onto his computer.

"I'm going to schedule you in for an emergency scan. I want you to go over to the hospital right now, go right to the ultrasound tech lab. I'll make sure they get you in as soon as. Don't ask me any questions because I'm not absolutely certain at this point. Go and have the scan and then I want you to see Dr. Lancaster. I'll let him know you're coming," Simon told her.

Alyssa listened to Simon her face fell and a hand closed over her stomach worriedly. She nodded at him.

"Doctor Lancaster," she repeated quietly as she stood up.

She cast her eyes over Simon again and took a deep breath as she nodded once more and left his office. She hurried out of the Surgery and hailed a cab as she reached the road.

Alyssa sat in the cab and held a hand over her stomach. Something was wrong, something was wrong! She held her head back against the headrest in the car and took a deep breath. Simon had said not to ask questions, he wasn't sure. It was just a precaution. It might be okay.

She got out at the hospital and made her way to the front desk and told the receptionist what Simon had told her. She was directed to the ultrasound room and waited.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ray drained his coffee and finished up his breakfast. He sat and watched Rowan and her staff sorting out everything for the morning, then stood and put his plate and mug by the washer. He stretched and yawned then caught Rowan and kissed her forehead.

"I'm gonna make a start," he told her.

He let her go and smiled at her before turning to go back upstairs.

Ray stood in the doorway to the twins room looking around. He was trying to decide where to begin. Today was the day when they moved the twins up into the attic. Rowan had spent the majority of yesterday cleaning it while he entertained the twins.

Ray ran his hand over his face as he sorted out an order and began to move the bigger things out of the bedroom and along the corridor.

Rowan nodded and quickly went back to finishing up the morning prep. Ray was going to need help. She made sure things were as caught up as she could make them and then left her competent staff to it and hurried upstairs.

She stood with her hands on her hips a moment and looked at the things in the hall.

"Well, the beds come apart and the other things are small so I can help with all that, but I'm not going to be able to help with the dresser," she said as she gestured at it. She poked her head into the nursery. "And if you keep piling everything out here, we won't have any room to move to get things up there."

Ray glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Hey!" he growled. "I'm creating a system!" he retorted as he stood up straight and looked at her.

"Heavy stuff goes up first, so we can get that wherever you want it, then we put in everything else, and you arrange however you want it," he said. "But first the heavy stuff," he said decisively with a firm nod of his head.

"So, I'll get that dresser up there first while you get the beds dismantled, then we put them back together up there and I'll get stuff up for you to put wherever you want," he told her.

He turned around and grabbed the side of the dresser to pull it out of the bedroom, then stopped in the corridor and opened the drawers to empty them into neat piles on the floor: the lighter it was, the easier this would be.

"Right then," he said under his breath as he carefully lifted the dresser and began to ease it up the steps into the attic.

"A system, I see," Rowan said. She folded her arms as she listened to him. She went over and moved the drawers so he could shift the dresser and then gasped.

"Ray, you'll kill yourself trying to get that up there by yourself!" She hurriedly grabbed the other end of the dresser to help. "Why couldn't you just wait?" she grunted as she began to push while Ray pulled.

She sighed as they finally got it into the attic and she walked over to Ray and smacked his arm.

"I know you're a big, strong bloke, darling, but will you please not do that again?"

Ray rubbed his arm where she had hit him and frowned at her. "I got it up here didn't I?" he grumbled back as he looked at the dresser. "It's not scratched or broken or anything!" he added.

She wound her arms around his waist and held him tight before letting him go.

"Okay, let's get this finished and then see if we can't find some other 'stuff' to get up and where we might put it," she purred.

Ray's eyebrows rose and he held her tightly to him and brushed a kiss across her forehead with a chuckle.

"Better get this sorted quickly then," he said as he rushed back down the stairs and started to dismantle the beds to hand up to Rowan.

"We should probably get another one, soon enough they're going to have more clothes than we can keep up with," Rowan remarked. She quickly began helping with getting things upstairs.

She looked around and sighed when they'd finally got all the twin's things upstairs.

"So, all we have left now is putting JT's old bed into the spare room," she said happily. "And then I have to get busy downstairs, Syed needs to leave early today."

She looked up at him and tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smile.

"Has anything come up yet?"

Ray grinned at her and grabbed her hand.

"The bed can wait," he told her. "Especially if you have to go downstairs early," he added as tugged her hand and then pushed her gently in the direction of the bedroom. "Stuff in there," he added as he pushed her again and shut the door as he followed her.

Rowan raised an eyebrow at him. "Stuff in there?" she asked curiously and giggled as she let him push her into the bedroom.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

"No."

"Come on..."

"No!"

"Sammy!" Alex frowned at her son. "You have to go to Nursery today."

Sammy shook his head resolutely. "No."

"Well where are you going to go then? You can't stay with me or your Daddy, we're both working," she told him.

"Molly," he said shortly.

Alex shook her head. "Molly's working today, too," she told him and watched him open his mouth again. "And Peter's at work today, too," she said and his mouth closed.

"Not going," he said.

Alex pointed to the building. "We're here Sammy, all you have to do is get out of the car and walk over there!" she told him and he shook his head again. "No."

Alex got out of the car and went to the back and opened his door. She clicked his belt open and pulled him into her arms, ignoring his flailing fists and protests. "I promise it's only for the morning, this afternoon I'll find someone to look after you okay?"

Sammy changed tack put his arms around her neck, clinging to her desperately. "Don't like Nursery, Mummy," he said into her shoulder. Alex hugged him tightly and refused to let herself give in. "I know you don't Sammy, but it's only for this morning okay?"

Sammy looked up at her and sniffed. "Promise?"

Alex kissed his nose and smiled. "I promise," she said and put him on the floor.

Alex led Sammy inside and handed him over to the woman in charge before heading back to her car, trying to ignore the look of betrayal on Sammy's face.

Alex went and sat down at her desk with a heavy sigh, she held her face in her hands and looked at her desk blankly.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Annie wiped at the bar, lost in thought. Was Charlie going to leave her and go home? Would she mind if he did? She was startled from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder.

"You all right darlin?" Peggy asked her.

"Yeah, just...Charlie and I had a bit of a disagreement this morning and so I'm a little distracted," she admitted. Peggy glanced at her watch.

"Look, we won't get busy really until lunchtime, why don't you take an hour break and go talk to him? You've got everything sorted here now, so it's fine."

Annie looked at her.

"Are you sure?"

Peggy patted her hand. "Course I am darlin', now go on, go talk to him."

Annie smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she said and headed out. She went to the flat first, he wasn't there. She gnawed her lip a moment and wondered where he might have gone on his day off. She glanced at the sink. No dirty dishes or recently washed ones. He might have decided to go out to eat. She nodded to herself and left the flat and went to the cafe first. Not there. She walked out of the cafe, stood outside and folded her arms. Where might he have gone?

The High Street. Had to be. They'd been all around the Square over the weekend, so if he was going to explore, he'd go where they hadn't been yet. And there was supposed to be a good restaurant near the High Street. That had to be where he was, she decided and set off at a brisk walk.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Charlie walked into the restaurant and sat down and ordered some breakfast. He pulled out his laptop and began to read over something he'd been writing earlier as he waited for his food.

Lauren glanced over as she saw Charlie sit down and smiled to herself. He looked a bit down, she noticed. She leaned over in his direction.

"You all right?" she asked and he looked up at her.

"Er, yeah, I s'pose," he replied, "why?"

"You just look a bit down," she said and picked up her tea and moved to sit across from him at his table. "So, what is it?"

Charlie looked at her, a bit taken aback, but shrugged it off.

"Well, bit stuck on what I'm writing and had a bit of a row with my girlfriend this morning," he finally said.

"You're a writer?" she asked him in surprise. "Nice one," she added and grabbed his laptop and turned it so she could see.

"Hey..." he began to try and stop her and decided not to.

"This is really good," she said after a few minutes.

"Wow, thanks," he said.

"So you're homesick," she observed and looked at him sympathetically.

"Yeah, I just really...I'm not sure I like it here."

She reached over and patted his hand.

"You know, I lived in America for quite a while, and I was homesick at first, but then I got used to it and I didn't want to leave," Lauren told him and she pushed the laptop back around to him.

"You should give it more than a weekend before you give up on it. And I'll tell you something else, why don't you and your girlfriend come out with me and my friends this weekend? Maybe if you make some friends here, you might not be so homesick."

Charlie looked at her a moment and then smiled. "You're on. I just hope not all your friends are as pretty as you, my girlfriend will be jealous."

Lauren blushed.

Annie walked into the restaurant and glanced around until she spotted Charlie. She nearly walked over until she noticed he was sitting with a young girl and it looked like they were holding hands.

Her brow furrowed and she turned and left. Of course, the girl was closer to his age than Annie was. Charlie had never minded before that Annie was a little older than he was. She swallowed hard and half-ran back to the pub.

/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\

Chris noticed Alex arriving and handed some of the files to Ginger, left a few on his desk and then walked over to Alex.

"Ma'am, can I have a word?" he asked.

Alex lifted her hand off her hands and rubbed at her eyes. She looked up at Chris and nodded.

"Sure Chris, what's up?" she asked him as she pulled herself off her desk.

"It's just..." he trailed off, taking in how upset Alex looked. "It's nowt really, don't worry about it."

He turned and headed back to his desk. He would worry about the trainee later. Surely it wasn't as bad as he thought.

Alex frowned after Chris and pulled herself out of her misery, she couldn't spend all of her time dwelling on her problems while she was at work. She stood up from behind her desk and wandered over to Chris.

"What's going on, Chris?" she asked him. "It's got to be something if you're worried about it," she said as she looked down at him.

Chris cleared his throat and then looked around to make sure no one was paying attention.

"It's just, I don't know, ma'am, it shouldn't bother me, but that new PC seems to be getting a more than usual hard time," he told her softly. He held up a hand. "I know, I know, it's normal for the trainees, it just seems to be more than usual with her, that's all. And I remember hearing the Guv say he wanted you to mentor her with all that," he waved a hand at his head, "stuff so I thought you could…you know…help her out."

He sighed. He knew it wasn't really his business, but she seemed a good kid and the Guv seemed to think highly of her.

Alex nodded at him. "I'll keep an eye out Chris, thanks for letting me know," she smiled at him.

Chris nodded and glanced around again before turning his attention back to his monitor.

Alex left his desk and began to wander the corridors until she spied Lucy. She lifted the files out of the young trainee's arms and handed them to a passing PC.

"PC Trainee Beale?" she asked. "DI Drake," she introduced with a friendly smile.

"Superintendent Hunt tells me that you'd do good learning about Criminal Psychology," she said. "Is that something you'd be interested in doing?" she asked. "I'd be prepared to mentor you," she added.

Lucy gaped at Alex in surprise as she took the files. She hoped this wouldn't mean cleaning the cells again.

"Hello," she said and gave Alex a smile. Her eyebrows flew up at Alex's words.

"Um, yeah, I've been looking into courses already, actually," Lucy told her. "Ever since he suggested I think about it. I'd be honored if you wanted to mentor me."

Alex beamed and nodded. "Okay then. I'll clear it with who ever is looking after you and we'll get started," she smiled.

"I'm training with Sergeant Blake, ma'am," Lucy told her.

Alex chewed her lip for a moment before looking around and leaning a little closer to Lucy. "I've heard that the officers are being a lot harder on you than they should, you have any issues tell me okay?" she said softly.

Her eyes widened a bit when Alex leaned towards her and shook her head slightly.

"Um, everything's okay. Nothing I can't handle," she told Alex. That would be the last thing she needed.

Alex nodded at her and sighed.

"I'm there if you need me" she said as she headed off. First she'd talk to Sergeant Blake about training Lucy in Criminal Psychology, then keep and eye out for the girl around the station

"Okay, thank you, ma'am," Lucy said and hurried off to meet up with Blake before he came looking for her. If he asked people where she was, they often gave him the wrong information and Lucy didn't want to get any more lectures for doing something wrong that she hadn't been actually doing.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Jack looked at the clock and then at his phone again. Still no word from Alyssa. Surely she was done by now? He sighed and dropped back behind his desk. Now that the crisis was over, maybe he should just go to the surgery.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Lucy avoided her locker again, she knew there would be more garbage in it. She learned quickly not to keep anything in it. She had thought by ignoring everything that it would stop, but it hadn't. She was not going to let it bother her. She was far more worried about DS Skelton. He was so nice, he'd been so nice to her, the only one who'd been nice to her in fact. His wife and fellow officer had treated him shabbily.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Annie forced a smile and tried to act like everything was fine as she served.

"You all right, darlin'?" Peggy asked her.

"Yeah, fine," Annie lied.

"Did you get to talk to your young man?"

"No, I couldn't find him. He said he was going to go explore though, so, you know," Annie shrugged and faked a sunny smile.

Peggy patted her on the back. "Okay."

/\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\

Whitney raised her head and looked around the kitchen blearily. She'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table! She rubbed her face and went into the bathroom to shower. She looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. She was still so tired.

She got dressed and went downstairs to the shop.

"Hey, Sleepyhead, didn't think I was gonna see you today," Jodie remarked.

"I'm so tired, was up all night working on the stuff for the show. But it's all done."

"Oh, that's brilliant, Whit."

"Well, look, you're down here now, can I go on a break?"

"Of course you can, I'm sorry I left you down here on your own."

"Oh, it's fine, really. It's not like it's busy on a Monday. There's just something I need to talk to Darren about, so..." Jodie trailed off.

"Go, go, then," Whitney said and shooed at her. She sat down behind the counter and propped her chin in her hand. She would stay awake until Jodie got back. She would.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Alyssa hurried out of the hospital and sat down on a bench outside, shaking. She couldn't believe it. She rested her elbows on her knees, and her face in her hands. She had been told to come back again tomorrow, they were going to get rid of the baby: an ectopic pregnancy. Just as Jack had convinced her that having a baby would be a good thing she had to get rid of it anyway. It was so unfair.

Her breath caught in her throat. Jack, he had been so happy over the weekend, so excited. Tears trailed down her face. How on earth was she supposed to tell him and ruin his good mood?

She rubbed at her eyes furiously and let out an angry breath. This was so unfair! Two days ago she had been all set to get rid of this baby! Now she had to do it anyway, and this time it would hurt both her and Jack. She lifted her face from her hands and clenched her fists, she caught sight of a cab and hailed it over; she would go home and sort her head out, then wait for Jack to get home and tell him. She nodded as she fidgeted with the hem of her top. She would not cry in the back of a taxi!

She pulled her phone out of her pocket after a moment and typed a text.

"Appt home. x"

She hesitated a moment before scrolling down to Jacks number and hitting send. She swallowed as she sent it and sat back in the seat.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Jack read Alyssa's text and sighed. He'd fully missed out then. He frowned at his desk a few minutes and then flipped open his appointment book. Nothing going on today. He slammed the book shut and stalked out of the office.

"I'll be out the rest of the day," he told his secretary in a curt tone and then left. He blew out a long breath as he pulled up outside the house. He could hardly contain his excitement. He bounded inside, a huge smile on his face.

"Lyss? I'm so sorry about earlier. There was a nasty fight and things got way out of hand. How was the appointment?" he called out as he walked inside.

Alyssa looked up as she heard Jacks voice and she came out of the front room. She took a deep breath before turning to face him and took one look at his happy face before bursting into tears again. she moved forward and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, clinging to him as she sobbed.

"I've got to go to the hospital tomorrow," she choked out as she loosened her grip on him a little "Simon sent me there today already," she added as she let go of him with one hand to wipe at her eyes and look up at him. "I'm sorry," she said as more tears took the place of the ones she had just wiped away.

Jack's eyes widened at Alyssa's tears. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and began to stroke her hair.

"What's going on?" he wanted to know. "Why do you have to go to the hospital? Why are you crying?" he asked insistently, fear etching his features as he looked back at her.

"I've got to get rid of the baby," she sniffed as she clung to him. "The Doctor said that...," she stopped and rubbed at her eyes again. "He said it's an ectopic pregnancy," she told him and she took some deep breaths and tried to calm down.

Jack took Alyssa's face in his hands. "Are they absolutely sure? I mean….oh Lyss," he said softly. He swallowed against a lump in his throat. "You might not…." he tried again and his voice faltered. There was a much slimmer chance she would ever be able to catch pregnant again. Though, look at Rowan. The odds had been against her, too.

"I had to go for an ultrasound," she told him. "They've got to get it out of me," she said to him as she looked into his eyes and felt her heart crumple. She knew that this would hurt him, and now looking into his eyes she could see it.

She closed her eyes and let out a breath. "If I'd just got rid of it in the first place then this wouldn't be happening," she mumbled quietly.

Alyssa looked back up at him and took his hand in hers. "I don't want you there with me tomorrow Jack, I don't want to be worried about you," she told him earnestly, she didn't want him waiting around outside and worrying the whole time. It was better he was distracting himself at work, she could call him when the operation was over.

Jack gasped and stroked her face. "Oh, Lyss, love," he began and then paused to let her continue.

He felt his heart began to freeze at her comment. How could he not be there for her? It was surgery! They were going to cut her open. Unless…..he shook his head and dropped his hands to his sides and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why shouldn't I go and be there for you? Or, maybe you're not really having surgery? If you don't want me there, I have to wonder if you're being entirely honest," he suggested, his voice slightly cold. He hadn't meant to say it, but why else would she not want him there, if she was telling the truth.

Alyssa's face crumpled in shock at his accusation. Her shock and horror was quickly replaced by anger and her fists clenched. Her face set itself in frown as she bristled.

"You really think I'd do that to you, Jack!" she asked him slowly, her tone dangerously angry. "You really believe that I'm that heartless? That I'd not have an abortion, let you get all excited and then tear it all away from you!" she growled at him, her nails were digging into her palms painfully but she didn't care. She couldn't believe that he thought she could be that cold.

She glared at him, it hurt that he thought she was capable of something so cruel. "I kept this baby because I knew what it would mean to you, and because you convinced me that I could do this! So don't you dare accuse me of something like _that_! This is not my fault! In fact, it's your fault for getting me pregnant in the first place! And then for convincing me to keep it!" she told him, her voice growing more and more hysterical as she went on.

"And you know what! Because of this my chances of getting pregnant in the future are going to be reduced by 50%, Jack!" she said, shaking as she spoke. "So you know what? I wish you hadn't managed to talk me out of the abortion in the first place!"

"I don't know, Lyss, you've always made it clear. I told you from the beginning I would respect your wishes, so don't act like I made you change your mind. I told you I would support you no matter what, but you have to admit, it sounds a bit odd, you not wanting me to go with you. If you have nothing to hide then my going along to still try and support you shouldn't be a problem," he snapped.

"And yes, I'm well aware that any chance of more children is now smaller. But you made the choice. You went to the surgery, all ready to do it and then changed your mind. Don't turn all this on me, Lyss."

He stepped back and tilted his head at her. "And what would it matter to you that it's going to be harder to get pregnant again? I should think you would be ecstatic. You're the one who didn't want them in the first place. You must be so happy about this," he added. He could feel a lump in his throat, but swallowed past it.

"Just because you supported my decision doesn't mean that you wanted it! And I don't want you to go with me because I'd rather you take your mind off it at work than stand inside a Hospital worrying about me! Rowan and Alex told me exactly what you were like the last time I was in hospital, and I don't want to put you through that again! So excuse me for caring about you!" she snarled at him

"I know you. wanted to keep the baby Jack, even when I first told you! That's part of the reason why I couldn't get rid of it in the first place! Because you wanted a baby and I wanted to make _you _happy!" she retorted.

Alyssa's face fell further. "So now I'm not allowed to change my mind! How am I supposed to be ecstatic about something like this? Before I always had the option, now I might not!" she told him, half a sob escaping her. "So don't you even dare to presume what I'm feeling right now Jack because you haven't got a clue!" she added, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"Last time was different, they didn't think you were going to live," he shot back. "So, I think I should be allowed to care about you.'

"That's not the point. You're saying I made you do it, like I was stood there holding a gun to your head. And no, maybe I don't have a clue, and you don't have a clue how I'm feeling either! You never wanted the option. What happened was an accident, now you won't have to worry about it ever again," he said sullenly.

"See it from my point of view here, though. If you don't have anything to hide, then there shouldn't be any reason why I can't go with you," he accused.

"I never said you couldn't care about me!" she said in frustration. "I just meant that I don't want you snarling at nurses and doctors while I'm having the operation! I'd rather you go to work and try to keep your mind off it!" she tried again to tell him. Why couldn't he just listen to her!

"I'm not saying that you made me do it! I did it because I just wanted _you _to be happy!" she snapped back at him. "I know I never wanted the option, but when given the option I chose to keep it, who says I'm not going to want children in the future Jack? I'd like to have that choice!" she said as she unclenched her fists and took a step away from him. He was too close, she didn't want to suddenly lash out at him.

She gaped at him. "I haven't got anything to hide!" she said in exasperation "I'd just rather you weren't there Jack! Why is that so difficult for you to accept?"

"It's different this time," he fired back defensively. "How could I possibly work? You'd rather I go and snarl at everyone at the school?"

"So, suddenly now you might want to have kids, where before you said never? Or are you just saying that because you're getting rid of this one and you don't want to feel guilty?" he accused and clenched his teeth.

"I can't accept it because it's my baby too and you're my wife and I should be there. The only reason I shouldn't is if you're feeding me some excuse."

"No! I'd rather you go and take your mind off it" she told him. "I know it's different this time Jack, because it's not me that's dying this time is it? It's our baby that isn't going to live," she said, her voice cracking.

"You know why I didn't want kids Jack, I told you why," she said between gritted teeth. "And then you convinced me that the thing that I was scared of most was unlikely to happen," she told him. She could feel herself beginning to break down, she wasn't going to stand here and let him accuse her.

"Yes, and I don't want to lose you," he told her. She was being so cruel, denying him being there for her. Why couldn't she see that?

"I know you did and I understood it and I accepted it and moved past it. How do you think I'm supposed to feel about all this?" he demanded as he watched her grab her coat.

"It's not an excuse, Jack!" she said, her voice getting louder as she shouted at him. "I don't want you there, Jack! Please just accept that and stop accusing me of doing something that isn't true," she told him as she turned and grabbed her coat off the banister. She marched to the door.

"And I'm not going to stand here and try to reason with you when you're clearly not going to listen to me," she said as she pulled open the door and marched out.

He stared at her, open-mouthed as she marched out the door.

"Lyss!"

He stared after her a moment and then dropped to the floor with his shoulders slumped.

Alyssa stalked through Walford and headed to the Salon. She didn't want to talk, not to anybody. And she wasn't going to go Rowan: it was Ray's day off and the Twins would be home soon enough. She didn't want to be there.

She pushed open the door to the Salon and met Tanya's surprised stare. "Alyssa...you're not working today," she said curiously. Alyssa nodded. "I know," she replied as she marched up to the counter and tapped the free spot on the appointment book.

"I want my nails done, please" she said as she pointed to Gayna's schedule. Tanya nodded and smiled. "Go on up," she said as she watched Alyssa climb the stairs. Something was wrong.

Jack finally straightened up. She would be back. Of course she would be; she had to come home. And she would agree to let him go with her tomorrow for this surgery she said she was supposed to have. He got to his feet and went into the kitchen and cracked open a beer and swiftly drained it. He grabbed another and it followed the other down his throat. He leaned against the kitchen counter for a few minutes and sighed.

He looked up at the clock, it was well past lunchtime, but he wasn't hungry. He couldn't eat now if he wanted to. He turned on the tap and scrubbed at his face. He would go to the pub. He was not about to go trailing after her just now. She'd come back to him.

He yanked his jacket from the hook by the door and set off for the pub at a brisk walk.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa sat and stared off into space. She made to attempts to follow Kim's incessant chatter, though she was grateful for the background noise, however pointless it was. She hoped that this would give Jack a chance to calm down. She hated it when he was angry, especially when he didn't listen, all she wanted was for him to listen. She couldn't deal with having him there, she just couldn't deal with it! Why didn't he get that?

She pulled herself out of her head and looked up at Kim as she droned on, nodding here and there to convince Kim that she was listening as she looked back at Gayna who rolled her eyes and imitated Kim as she continued with Alyssa's nails.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Annie watched Jack worriedly. He'd been drinking steadily since he'd come in. He clearly wanted to keep to himself so she didn't pry, but his behavior was getting worrying.

At the end of her shift, she bit her lip and walked over to him and put a careful hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked and her brow furrowed as he lifted his bleary gaze to meet hers.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly.

"Look, I don't mean to pry…"

"Then don't," he told her flatly.

"But, if you don't stop now, Peggy is probably going to ask you to leave."

Jack frowned at her. "I would care why?"

"Surely you don't want her to call the police and get you locked up?"

"I don't care what she does," he said, his tone still low and flat.

"Here," she said and put her hands more firmly around his arm. "Why don't I help you to a taxi and see that you get home all right?" she offered.

"No, don't want to go home. She won't be there anyway," he disagreed and tried to jerk his arm from her firm grasp.

"Then, I'll take you somewhere else, the B&B perhaps?"

She took in his muley expression and sighed. "Look, you really don't want to get on Peggy's bad side, okay? So take my advice and let me help you."

He finally blew out a long breath and stood up and let her help him outside. He quickly dropped onto the bench outside and lit up a cigarette. He'd decided to quit when Alyssa told him about the baby, but now, there was no point. Annie nearly growled in frustration and grabbed his arm again and hauled him to his feet.

"Let's go, I'll get you there and then you're on your own," she told him and wafted a hand in front of her face at the smoke.

"Thank you, that's very kind of such a lovely lady," he told her. She rolled her eyes before tilting her head up at him.

"Just doing my job," she said and helped him stagger to the B&B. She helped him lean against the counter so he could fill out the card and then after repeated attempts to get his wallet from his pocket had failed, she reached in and got it for him. She cleared her throat and quickly put the wallet on the counter when she felt his reaction to her reaching into his pocket. She took the key Denise held out.

"All right, almost there, Jack," she urged, using his name now that she knew it. He slung an arm around her shoulder and let her help him to the room. She managed to get the door open and got him inside, almost losing her grip as he lost his balance. She grabbed hold of his waist, knocking the door shut in her haste to keep him from falling.

"Well, I could use some company," he said and before she could move, his lips were on hers. Her hands came up to push him away, but the push became a caress. She'd never been kissed so intensely and she found herself kissing him back. The drink didn't seem to be affecting him in other areas, she noticed. He certainly hadn't lost his earlier reaction to her inadvertent touch. When he fell with her onto the bed, she almost pulled away, but then his hands were on her and she gave in willingly.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa sighed once she had paid for her manicure. Sure she got a staff discount, but now she would have to go home. Back to the house where Jack probably still was. She really didn't want another row, she wasn't sure she was up to one. She thanked Tanya and Gayna before heading off back to the house.

She opened the door carefully and listened. Silence.

"Jack?" she called out curiously. She was half relieved when she got no response. At least she wasn't going to have to deal with whatever mood he was in straight away. She went through to the kitchen got down a bottle of wine and then dug in the freezer for the ice cream. Seeing as she was losing her baby tomorrow afternoon she saw no harm in drinking. So drink she would. She grabbed a spoon and a glass and headed to the bedroom. Alyssa sat herself down on the bed and wrapped herself in her dressing gown as she grabbed one of her favourite films and played it on the TV. A small niggle of worry began to plague her. If Jack wasn't here then where the hell was he? He wouldn't have gone back to school, not after their row. She dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone, she rang him.

Alyssa frowned when she got no reply and sent off a text.

"Let me know where you are."

She sat back against the pillows and took a sip of the wine before digging into the ice cream tub.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alex moved to Gene's office and knocked on the door softly before going in.

"I'm going to pick up Sammy from Nursery, the only way I could get him to go in today was by promising that I'd pick him up around lunchtime," she explained. "Do you need me here or can I take him home?" she asked.

Sammy wasn't too much of an issue when he was in the Station, he knew to stay away from the cells, and to stay away from interview rooms. He would quite happily sit in Gene's office and watch his Daddy work while playing with office stationery and drawing pictures.

Gene looked up at Alex and he pursed his lips at her question.

"I'll go," he decided and stood up. "I'll take him to lunch and maybe to the park," he told her and strode from the door, swinging his coat over his shoulders as he went before she could say anything against it.

He drove to the nursery and went inside.

"I'm Gene Hunt, I'm here to pick up my son, but first, I want to know what's being done about my son being bullied. Because if a stop isn't put to it, I'll have to do something about it," he told the woman at the desk.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Charlie watched Annie leave the pub and help an obviously drunken punter across to the B&B. He gave a small smile. That was just like her, to help someone. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over towards the B&B, ready for when she came out so he could take her to a nice dinner. That girl Lauren had got him to give the place another try, and he couldn't wait to tell Annie. His smile fell when she didn't come back out right away. He huffed out a breath and furrowed his brow as he waited longer. Still no Annie. He felt his skin grow cold as time passed and she still didn't emerge.

He turned from the B&B and headed for the flat, turning back every so often to see if Annie was walking out of the place, but he'd been standing there far too long. He thought about dinner, but realized he wasn't really hungry.


	5. Chapter 5

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 5**

Bolton sat down on the bench, dabbing at himself with a towel. He was slightly out of breath after that last session. The guy was big, and good. He chuckled to himself and glanced at the time. He didn't have any more sessions until this afternoon. He supposed he should go and grab something to eat. He'd call on Whitney, she said she wanted to be mates: mates went for lunch.

He grabbed a quick shower and changed before strolling along to her shop and cautiously going inside.

He smiled as he saw Whitney at the counter. "All right?" he asked as he leaned on the counter and grinned at her.

Whitney jolted out of her zombie-state and looked at Bolton , a smile beginning to light her features.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you of course," she told him.

Bolton smiled. "You eat food, I eat food, I'm hungry, you look like you need a break," he shrugged. "Lunch?" he asked with a grin.

"Sure, let me just close up," Whitney agreed. She locked the door and flipped the sign to "closed". Jodie would be back soon enough and had a key.

"Come on up. Mum brought me a shepherd's pie last night and I could use some help eating it," she told him. She didn't want to admit she didn't have the money to go out. Besides, it did need to get eaten. Bianca seemed to think Lauren and Whitney were capable of eating huge amounts of food, not that they couldn't, but they hadn't even managed half the pie.

She headed upstairs and pulled the pie from the fridge and stuck it in the oven to heat it up and then flipped on the kettle. She went back into the front room and gestured at the rack where she'd hung the clothes for the show. "I got them done this morning. Took me all night, but I did it."

Bolton followed her upstairs and grinned at the sight of the finished rail of clothes. He went over and carefully looked through them, being cautious enough not to damage them in any way. He grinned up at Whitney.

"They look fantastic," he told her and sniffed the air. "And that food smells good, too," he added as he wandered over to her fridge.

"You got anything to drink?" he asked her as he opened the fridge and looked inside.

"There's some water and juice in there," Whitney told him. "I put the kettle on."

She trailed into the kitchen and pulled two mugs from the cupboard and put them on the counter. "Sorry," she said as she edged past him, putting a hand on his lower back to keep him from bumping into her. She opened the oven once she got past him and put the pie on the stove top and then reached for plates.

"I think it's ready," she said and grabbed out a large serving spoon from the drawer. She dished herself out some of it and then handed the spoon to Bolton before digging into another drawer for forks.

"How's it going at the gym?" she asked curiously, trying to come up with conversation.

Bolton grabbed the carton of juice from the fridge and nodded at her.

He grabbed himself a glass, poured himself some juice then sat down at the table. He took the spoon from her and dished himself up some food.

"S'good," he grinned at her. "I'm really enjoying it, then with the odd DJ job on the side, it's fun," he smiled at her as he took a large mouthful of shepherd's pie. "What about you? Excited for this thing?" he asked with a gesture at the clothes rail where her designs were hung up.

"They should book you in at R&R, they could use a good DJ there, the one Roxy had picked is terrible," she grinned.

She blew out a long breath at his question and put her fork down.

"I am, but I'm also scared to death. So much hangs on this thing going well. I mean, what you're going to do sounds great, it really does, and I've coordinated the clothes with the music, but just everything is riding on this," she broke off, she didn't want to admit how badly off she was. She pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair as she picked up her tea and sipped it.

"I spoke to the bank this morning and I have an appointment Monday morning, if all goes well Saturday, I'm in," she finally said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. She licked her lips and took another sip of tea to keep from saying anything else.

"Yeah?" he grinned. "Great, I'll look into it," he smiled at her.

He nodded at her. "Listen, you'll do fine!" he told her. "Combination of my music skills and your fashiony stuff, you're all set," he smiled "So don't even worry about it, because dwelling on it isn't good for you Whit, as long as you've done the best you can do then that's it, there's no point in making yourself ill by worrying over it," he advised her.

He shovelled more food into his mouth and swallowed.

"I know, but this could do so much for me," she sighed. She got up and picked up her plate and scraped the remains of her lunch into the bin and put her plate in the sink. She got the juice from the fridge and brought it over to the table to refill his glass.

"I just really appreciate you doing this for me," she said as she put the juice down and put a hand on his shoulder. "You and everyone being so supportive, it means a lot."

She gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder awkwardly and looked down, slightly embarrassed. She really wanted to give him a proper thank you, but thought she probably shouldn't.

"Yeah well, if it doesn't happen this time around then just keep the designs and try again," he said with a shrug. "Just don't give up," he added with a smile.

He smiled at her. "Hey, what are friends for," he said with a toothy grin as he looked at her, he knew that she just wanted to be mates and he could deal with that. They got along as mates, they got along really well.

He looked up at her and smiled as he reached out for his glass and took a long sip before polishing off his food.

"So, got any pudding?" he asked her.

"Yeah, well I don't know when there might be another chance like this. It was a total fluke I got invited in the first place," she said with a sigh.

She half-smiled and leaned against the table at his question and lifted her hand. "I think I have some biscuits," she giggled. "But we don't keep a lot of sweets around here," she told him. "So I hope that's okay," she added as she leaned down to pick up his plate. She glanced involuntarily at his lips and then quickly at the plate and picked it up. She swallowed hard and straightened up, his plate in hand.

He shrugged. "So stop stressing and think positive," he said to her.

Bolton frowned slightly as she turned around. Had she just...he was pretty sure she had just looked at his mouth. He grinned to himself.

"Biscuits are fine," he shrugged and then frowned. "Don't you live with another girl? I thought girls always had chocolate in their homes?" he asked curiously.

Whitney reached into the cupboard and got the biscuits out and showed him the package. "Chocolate biscuits," she told him with a grin and opened it before handing it to him so he could get one out.

"Ahhhhhh," he said knowingly as he eyed the biscuits. "I'd best not eat all of your stash then," he smiled at her. "Wouldn't want to deprive you and Lauren of chocolate."

"Yeah, well, we can get more, the shops still sell them you know," she teased.

She sat back down. "I'll just be glad when it's over," she sighed and took a drink of her tea.

Bolton grinned. "I bet you'll be ecstatic when it's over," he said to her as he picked a biscuit from the packet and started to munch on it.

She nodded at his remark. "I'll be relieved when it's over, I'll be ecstatic if it's a success," she corrected and gave him a cheeky wink.

Bolton pulled a face at her.

"If you do get it we'll go out for a Congratulations Drink, if you don't then we can drink until you can't remember what happened," he smiled at her. "Either way, we will be going out for a drink after your show," he told her.

"Deal," she nodded. "Either way, I'm sure I'll feel like drinking," she added wryly. She stood up and took one more biscuit from the package before picking it up and taking it back into the kitchen to put it away. She walked back over and leaned against the table.

"So, guess you have to be getting back," she remarked. "Thanks for cheering me up though, I really needed it."

"Good, we can get a group of us or whatever you want" he smiled at her as he finished off his biscuit.

Bolton shrugged at her. "I didn't come to cheer you up, I came to get out of the gym, being around a load of sweaty man for most of my day isn't the best thing ever," he smiled at her as he stood up and pulled her into a hug. "But I'm glad I've cheered you up," he murmured.

Bolton realised he was probably holding onto her for too long and pulled away from her a little and let her go. "I'll see you later, let me know how your show goes," he smiled at her. "Text me or whatever when it's over and we'll go and get that drink."

Whitney leaned into the hug and held back a sigh. She liked being held by him very much, and it had been a long time since she'd been held.

She chuckled at his remark. "I don't imagine it's pleasant," she agreed. She did her best to hide her disappointment as he let her go.

Her eyes widened at his words. "What do you mean, let you know? You're supposed to be one of my models, or are you not doing it now?" she gasped, nearly in a panic. Surely he wouldn't desert her after he said he'd help. She stepped close to him and put her hands on his arms. "The whole club thing hinges on you being my DJ," she reminded him as she looked up at him.

Bolton chuckled at her and nodded. "Duh!" he pulled a face at her. "Chill out, Whit, I'll be there, wouldn't miss it," he told her. He chuckled again and patted her shoulder. "I won't miss it Whit, I promise okay," he smiled.

"Now, I've gotta get back to work," he said. "See ya!"

Bolton waved at Whitney as he left her shop and dashed off down the street and towards the boxing club.

"Then don't mess with me like that," she huffed. She followed him downstairs and watched him leave.

"So, what were you two up to then?" Jodie wanted to know.

"Nothing," Whitney told her. "We're just mates," she said, trying to keep the disappointment from her tone.

"Right," Jodie snorted and went back to organizing the racks.

Whitney sat down behind the counter a moment and then got up and went back to sewing, the things for the show might be done, but she had a couple of orders to fill.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan lifted herself up and kissed Ray.

"Glad we sorted out where to put that stuff," she joked and kissed him again. "Now, I have to get downstairs. Come down when you're ready for lunch," she said and reluctantly climbed from the bed and got dressed. She went into the bathroom and stifled a laugh at her hair before brushing it out and pulling it into a tail.

She poked her head back into the bedroom. "And can you pick up some milk?"

Ray frowned at her as he leant up onto his elbows "You want me to get up out of this wonderful bed, get dressed, go all the way to the shop just to pick up some milk?" he asked with a grin and then shrugged. "Sure," he agreed as he laid himself back down.

"Hang on," he said as he raised his head again. "When do you want this milk for?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Rowan snorted laughter. "All the way to the shop? You lazy thing, it's just over there," she gestured in the direction of the shop with a shake of her head. "And yes, I expect you to and I need it fairly soon as we're almost out downstairs. We need some up here, too," she added.

"Now, you better get up and get dressed before I get tempted to get back in there with you," she told him. "And I just can't do that today," she added with a sigh.

There was always something, it seemed, keeping them from fully taking advantage of Ray's days off, especially when it was a day the twins were at nursery so they had the house to themselves.

Ray sighed over-dramatically and heaved himself out of the bed and grabbed at his jeans. He pulled them on and kissed her cheek as he passed her, grabbing his top from the floor as he went.

"So, how much milk would you like me to get for you?" he asked her. "Just so that I come back with the right amount and don't have to go back for more," he grinned as he kissed her properly.

Rowan considered his question, but lost her train of thought when he kissed her. She shook her head slightly to clear it and tried again. "I've got a delivery coming tomorrow, so a couple of gallons for the restaurant should be fine," she told him.

He turned and looked back over his shoulder at her as he slid his shoes on. "Am I getting the kids today?" he asked her.

She paused before leaving the room at his question. "No, Chris will bring them home usual time. Unless you want to pick them all up," she told him and walked back into the front room. She grabbed her phone and put it in her pocket.

"Right, see you downstairs," she called over her shoulder and hurried down so that Syed could leave.

Ray nodded and followed her downstairs, making sure he had his wallet and grinned as he headed out the back door.

Ray went to the shop and got the milk for the restaurant and a couple of pints for the flat. He trailed back to the restaurant and heaved the milk onto the counter top for her and put the small bottle on the side as he went and put the milk in the big fridge for her.

He picked up the smaller bottle and grinned at her.

"S'laters" he grinned as he went back upstairs.

Rowan smiled back at Ray and watched him as he walked away.

"Earth to Rowan," James said from behind her and Rowan started and looked at him.

"Sorry," she said and blushed.

He put the ticket up on the rail.

"Don't go burning the food now because you're distracted, unless it's you figuring out how you're going to tell him you're running away with me," he teased.

Rowan shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Will you stop? You're going to get me in trouble," she huffed and gave Trevor a punch in the shoulder. "And you stop encouraging him."

"Sorry, boss," Trevor said through his laughter.

/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray put the milk into the fridge and wandered into the bedroom. He sighed as he reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out the small box. He'd bought her an engagement ring, nothing fancy because he knew she didn't like elaborate jewellery. It was just a simple white gold band with a small diamond resting on top. He snapped the box shut and pushed it into his pocket. He'd go downstairs once it quietened down and see if she would marry him. He was sure she would, he'd get down on one knee and propose, she'd say yes. She loved him. She kept telling him that she loved him.

Ray glanced at the bed and sighed heavily. He hoped she'd say yes. He grabbed the quilt and remade the bed neatly before going back downstairs and looking at the crowd in the Restaurant, he wanted to do this with as little audience as possible.

Rowan caught sight of Ray lurking and let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. She hurriedly finished the order she was working on and went over to him.

"Sit down if you're hungry, I'll make you lunch," she told him. She looked up at him and smiled and then gave his backside a small push. "Go on, after today I think you probably need refueling," she taunted and winked at him before turning and going back into the kitchen.

At least lunch was almost over, a quick glance at the floor made her realize she would probably be able to sit and eat with him at this point. Most of the people were finishing up their food and getting ready to go back to work.

Ray smiled at her.

"Seeing as you insist," he smiled back at her and made his way to sit down at a table. He sighed as he fiddled with the box in his pocket subtly. He watched her cooking and smiled absently. He grinned as he watched people leaving gradually. Good, it would mean less people around when he asked her. Because he intended to. And he wasn't entirely comfortable with an audience.

Rowan quickly cooked up two Philly steaks for herself and Ray and carried them out to the table. She put them down and went to get them drinks. She dropped gratefully onto the seat across from him.

"Short lunch rush, but a bit mad," she told him with a sigh and popped a chip into her mouth. Her eyes scanned the room and she made a gesture at Nora to let her know that she and Mercy could take breaks. Nora nodded and tapped Mercy on the shoulder and gestured towards the kitchen.

"So, did you get the bed moved back in there okay? We'll have to put a couple of rails upstairs, to hang the twins' clothes on. I don't see the point of trying to manage getting wardrobes up those steps," she remarked and then set to eating her sandwich.

Ray pulled his hand from his pocket and started on his food absently, nodding along to her as she spoke. He realised that he was going to be required to respond and swallowed his mouthful.

"Yeah, it's fine" he said with a smile at her.

"That shouldn't be too hard, we can get a couple from the DIY Store and just fix them to the wall," he said. "Easy," he added.

Ray glanced around, no customers, staff all hidden in the kitchen. He smiled and dug in his pocket, he clasped his hand around the box and pulled it out as he grabbed Rowan's hand and carefully made her drop her cutlery.

"Ro, " he started quietly. "I..." he frowned and sighed at himself in frustration. "Please, Ro," he said as he pressed the box into her hand. "Marry me," he asked her hopefully.

Rowan felt her chest tighten as Ray grabbed her hand and pressed a small box into it. She licked her lips and swallowed and looked at the box. She swallowed hard again and opened the box, the ring was lovely. But why did he have to keep on with this? Why couldn't he stop asking?

"It's…it's lovely," she managed to choke out. She began to blink rapidly, but couldn't stop the tear she felt slip down her cheek. "I can't do it," she whispered and raised her eyes to meet his.

"Ray, I love you, you're everything to me and I fully plan to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can't….I can't do this," she whispered.

She sniffed and blinked back more tears. She felt her skin go hot then cold as the tightness grew in her chest. She stood up and put a hand on his cheek. "I….I just wish you'd understand that I just can't…get married….I just can't."

Syed noticed something going on in the dining room and he gestured the others over. "Is he proposing again?" he whispered.

"Looks like it," remarked Nora. James stood behind them and frowned.

Ray's face fell and his heart plummeted. He watched her face and frowned as she started to cry.

"I don't understand though, Rowan, you keep telling me you love me and that you want me with you forever, and we've got the twins and everything's good. You haven't given me a reason, Ro, you just keep rejecting me and turning me down every time!" he told her. "And I don't see why you won't marry me!" he said, his voice slightly shaky as he took her hand from his face and held it.

"Why can't you, Ro? Why can't you get married to me?" he asked her quietly as he squeezed her hand "Because every time you say no to me it hurts, and although you say you love me it makes me feel like you don't," he said to her.

She reached out and grabbed a chair and put it down and sat next to him.

"Ray, you know I've been married once and I know, I know you are nothing like Brian," she told him. "You saved me from him. But, Ray, he still sometimes haunts my nightmares and the whole marriage thing…I can't help but associate it with him. It terrifies me, even though I know it shouldn't. It's just an association I can't deal with and I'm not sure I'll be able to change it."

She wrapped his hand in both of hers and met his. "Please, say you understand," she half-begged.

"She doesn't look very happy about it," Syed observed.

"She says no every time he asks," James told him. He hoped this time, Ray would just give up and go, then he could have Rowan to himself.

Ray sighed and lifted her hands to his mouth to kiss them. He pulled her chair closer then lifted her onto his lap and hugged her tightly. "Ro.." he sighed "Brian's gone. He's never coming back," he told her softly.

"Rowan, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm never going to do anything to hurt you!" he told her as he held her face in his hands. "Please, Ro, please!" he begged her. "I want the whole shebang!" he told her. "I love you, Ro!" he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Surely the best way to get rid of your fears is to face them?" he added.

Rowan searched his gaze. She could feel herself welling up again and swallowed hard. She knew he wouldn't do to her what Brian had done. Hadn't they been together long enough for her to see that? She felt herself blinking rapidly to stop the tears from falling again and took a slow, deep breath. She could feel herself shaking, but she wasn't sure why….fear….maybe…joy….possibly. She bit her lip and looked at the box a long moment before picking it up. She kept her eyes on the box as she opened it and with a shaking hand, removed the ring from the box. She put the box back on the table and then pressed the ring into his Ray's hand.

She licked her lips, swallowed hard and raised her gaze to meet Ray's as she lifted her still shaking hand between them. She shifted her eyes to her hand and then back to meet his eyes and gave him a small nod, unable to trust her voice at that moment, and let a small smile curve her lips.

Ray's eyes widened as he looked at her. "You sure?" he asked her as he slid the ring onto her finger. A happy smile split his face and he hugged her tightly before pressing his lips to hers. She said yes! Finally! He couldn't believe it.

Ray broke the kiss and cupped her face, his grin as broad as it could be. "Thank you!" he told her breathlessly as he beamed at her. He glanced around the empty restaurant and smiled slyly at her.

"So, we celebrate?" he asked her as he squeezed her gently.

Rowan bathed in Ray's joy and did her best to push her fear aside. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Her laughter at his remark pushed away the last of her nerves and she widened her eyes at him.

"You really are insatiable, aren't you?" she whispered and smiled. "I'd rather not do anything in front of them, however," she told him and nodded her head slightly in the direction of the kitchen, where she knew they were all watching.

Ray shrugged. "I'm merely taking advantage of the situation," he told her with a chuckle and glanced over at the kitchen. He sighed heavily. "Fine then, we'll have to go upstairs!" he said dramatically and winked at her.

She slowly turned her head and looked at the open door of the kitchen. Surely enough, they were all crowded in the doorway. She held up her hand to show off the ring.

"I've surrendered," she announced.

Ray frowned at Rowan's choice of words. "It was hardly a war, Ro," he whispered to her as the others came over. He looked at the bottle of champagne, half with pleasure and half with irritation. This would only delay their time alone together. Mind you, a celebration wasn't a proper celebration without some form of alcohol.

"About time," Syed called over, causing Rowan to blush.

He walked over to them and pulled a bottle of champagne from behind his back and gestured at Nora, who was carrying over glasses.

Rowan turned to Ray. "I feel like I'm outnumbered," she said to him with a small laugh.

James hung back and said nothing although he raised his glass of champagne with the others. No one noticed the smile on his face was hard-edged and fixed or that it turned to a grimace the moment he turned to go back into the kitchen. How could she marry that great oaf? He'd speak to her, change her mind. Trevor was going out of town this weekend, which meant James would have several hours in the morning to be alone with Rowan. Surely he could change her mind. She clearly only said yes because she'd been pressured. He'd make sure she knew that he would help her get rid of Ray and then she would be happy with James.

He gladly took a glass off Nora and kissed Rowan's cheek languidly as his glass was filled up.

"Different sort of surrender, acuisle," she whispered back and winked at him as they gathered around. She considered getting off his lap, but realized she should probably wait. Clearly what they'd got up to that morning hadn't slowed him down. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and gave him a wicked half-smile before turning back to the others.

"Thanks, Sy, everyone," she said after she'd taken a sip. She put the glass down and tried not to blush under Syed's knowing look as he picked up his orange juice.

She sat waited until she noticed things had gone back to normal and then stood up.

"Just clean up best you can and don't worry about getting everything. I'll get it later. We need to finish upstairs so just go ahead and close up. We don't usually get anyone in late on Mondays anyway," she told Syed and he nodded. She looked at Ray and caught his gaze before deliberately picking up the glass of champagne that was hers and taking a larger sip. She put the glass back down and headed for the stairs and went back up to the flat. She could already feel the wine heating up her belly as she rushed up the stairs. She toed off her trainers and quickly yanked her top off over her head. She hid behind the door and fought to pull her jeans off while listening for Ray coming up the stairs. She finally tossed her jeans aside and leaned against the wall and put her hand to the door so she could close it behind Ray when he entered the room.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alex looked at Gene as he left and sighed as she returned to her desk. At least someone was taking Sammy out of Nursery early today. Though she wasn't sure that letting Gene go was such a good idea, especially seeing as last time he got so worked up about it.

She shook her head to herself and picked up her pen once more.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

The woman at the desk looked up and met the angry gaze of Mr. Hunt.

"Mr. Hunt, we are doing everything we can to stop the bullying. We make sure to keep the boys separate from your son, and split them up from their little group to encourage them to socialise more with the other children," she said.

"We've also informed the parents and have had words with all of the boys," she explained as she caught the eyes of one of the girls who had come out. She took a look at Gene then nodded. Minutes later, Sammy hurtled out of the door, his bag swinging from his arm and he attached himself to Gene's leg happily.

Gene leaned over the desk and narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"I'm not sure you've done enough. So, you can tell them from me, DSI Hunt that I know who the boys are now. And if this business does not stop, I'll have all of them locked up as young offenders. Asbos at age 5," he said and tutted. Gene bent over and swung Sammy up into his arms. He gave the woman another look and then headed out of the nursery.

"We're going for lunch and then to the park, how does that sound Sammy-boy?"

He carried his son to the car and drove them to a café near the flat for burgers and chips and then to the park.

The woman watched Sammy leave with his hulk of a father and sighed as she jotted down a note to remind her. She eyed Sammy's delighted face over his fathers shoulder as they left and sighed. The little boy hadn't smiled like that all day.

Sammy grinned eagerly and nodded. "Yes!" he beamed at his Dad.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Lucy hid out in the bathrooms; she simply could not show her face like this. She looked down at her paint-covered uniform and sighed. She grabbed up another paper towel and finished wiping the paint off her face. She was completely humiliated, but it was also interesting how they'd got that paint thing to blast paint on her when she opened her locker. She was just glad she had stopped using her locker, although all her spare uniforms were at home.

She glanced at her watch. She was almost done for the day, she could no doubt sneak away she reckoned. If she got caught, she would show them what had happened and say she'd had an accident. The last thing she wanted to do was grass the others up. She still hoped it would stop. She pulled off her uniform shirt and wadded it up and put it in a plastic carrier bag and then pulled on her jacket and zipped it up. She slung her handbag over her shoulder and left the bathroom. At least she'd got all the paint off her face, though she was sure there was still some in her hair.

She kept her head down and hurried down the hall, and distractedly ran right into Chris.

"Sorry," she muttered and glanced up at him.

"It's all right love, hey, what happened to you?" he asked as he caught sight of the paint in her hair and noticed her uniform shirt in the plastic bag she was carrying.

"Oh, nothing…just had an accident. I'm heading out home now, so it's fine. My own fault," she told him.

"Look, if people are bothering you, well, it's a bit much if you know what I mean. Pranks are normal, but I have to wonder if things….."

"It's fine, really, sir, I'm fine. You're kind to worry about me, but you don't have to," she told him and hurriedly snapped her mouth shut before she said anything else…like what she'd overheard his wife and his mate discussing. "I have to go," she said and pushed past him and half-ran down the hall.

He watched her go and walked purposefully back to the main room and over to Alex's desk.

"Ma'am, I really think you should talk to Trainee Beale's superiors and find out what is going on," he told her shortly.

Alex looked up at Chris and frowned. "I spoke to her and she told me not to get involved," she murmured to him as she stood up.

"You think there's something really wrong going on?" she asked him.

"I just ran into her, she'd just been in the ladies'. There was paint in her hair and it looked like she'd cleaned some off her face and her uniform shirt was in a plastic bag, looked like it had paint on it too an all," he told Alex and watched her stalk off. He pitied whoever was on the receiving end of that temper.

Shaz looked at Chris and frowned as she moved over to his desk and set down a mug of tea on his desk and smiled at him "What's getting at you Chris?" she asked as she perched on his desk and glanced over at Ginger for half a second before looking back down at her husband worriedly.

"Nothing, Shaz, it's nothing," he replied. She'd already pooh-poohed the fact that Lucy Beale might be getting worse than usual hazing, he wasn't about to start going on about it again. "I need to go get the kids, need us to pick owt up?" he asked as she grabbed the car keys from his pocket.

Shaz frowned at him and shook her head. "No, nothing springs to mind," she told him as she carried on studying his expression.

"Are you sure you're okay, Chris? You look...worried," she told him.

"Shaz, I'm fine I said. I'm going now," he said sharply and strode out of the room. He sighed as he unlocked the car and climbed inside. He hoped he hadn't caused more problems for Lucy Beale, she already had enough.

He drove to the nursery and picked up the kids and then headed for the restaurant to drop off the twins.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alex marched briskly down the corridor into the main office and opened it without knocking. She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips looking at Sergeant Blake. "Care to tell me what's going on with Lucy Beale?" she asked him coldly.

Sergeant Blake looked up. "I hadn't heard there was a problem with PC Trainee Beale," he replied shortly. "Or is it yourself that has a problem with her? She's my trainee and she's doing a good job so far," he told her.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms. "I haven't got a problem with her, but I think the way that she's being treated by your staff is unfair and uncalled for!" she snapped at him. "As the officer in charge it's your job to do something about it, and I suggest you do it quick!" she half-growled at him.

"I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with the treatment of Trainee Beale, she's certainly said nothing to me," he snapped back as he stood up. "So why don't you tell me exactly how she's being treated. Bear in mind, ma'am, that such things are normal with trainee officers."

He put folded his arms and waited for her answer, knowing the eyes of the other officers were on him, but not caring. He wasn't going to bow and scrape just because she was married to DSI Hunt.

"Such things are not normal to the extremes being taken where Lucy Beale is concerned!" she scowled at him in reply. She hated trying to talk to people that weren't in CID; they were always so disrespectful and arrogant.

"She doesn't seem to have said anything to anyone, but members of CID have noticed that things are being taken way too far," she added angrily. She didn't care that the rest of the officers had gone silent to listen to their conversation, she was a DI and she was going to be taken seriously!

Sergeant Blake frowned at Alex. "I'll look into it, but if Trainee Beale still says there's nothing going on, then there really isn't much I can do. If she says there's nothing then I have to take her word for it don't I, otherwise, it looks like I don't trust her at all. How would that look, for me not to trust a fellow officer?"

He cocked his head at Alex.

"Maybe whoever has seen all this supposed 'worse than usual treatment' simply has a soft spot for her? She's a lovely girl after all," he suggested.

"Or maybe there is some substance to what he's saying!" she snapped back. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just watch out for her Blake, she's still only young after all," she told him and turned around and glared at the group of PCs that were still listening to their conversation.

"I watch after all my officers, DI Hunt," Blake shot back. "And Beale is a police officer in training. If she can't handle a little hazing and some practical jokes, then maybe she should find another profession."

"Haven't you lot all got work to be doing!" she snapped at them before marching back to her desk in the other office.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched Alex stalk away. Bloody CID sticking their noses in.

Alex scowled and looked up at Shaz and Ginger. "I really hate that Blake!" she said darkly.

Shaz looked at Ginger and shrugged.

Ginger's eyes widened and he met Shaz' gaze and shrugged back. He wasn't any wiser as to what Alex was on about than Shaz, clearly.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ray sat with Rowan on his lap quite happily while he drank down his glass of champagne. He grinned at the others as he put his empty champagne glass down and eagerly followed after Rowan. He smiled as he headed towards the bedroom, no doubt that where she would be. He hoped that's where she was. He grinned as he looked around the room; he saw the clothes on the floor and frowned slightly at the absence of Rowan.

"Ro?" he asked as he pulled his jumper off and dropped it onto the floor.

Rowan watched Ray walk into the flat and go to the bedroom. She bit back a smile and pushed the flat door closed and flipped the latch before leaning against the door.

"Yoo-hoooo," she called out and then posed against the door with her arms behind her back and lifted one foot and put it against the door.

Ray turned and grinned broadly at the sight of Rowan standing there not wearing a stitch. He shed his trousers and underwear before he reached her and swung her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom before toppling with her onto the bed. He grinned at her and smiled.

"So, did you just say yes because they were all watching us, or was it because you really do want to be my wife?" he asked her as he ran his hand down her body slowly. He raised his eyes to her face curiously as he shuffled a little closer to her and lifted his body on top of hers. He dropped his lips to her neck and pressed a trail of kisses along her shoulder.

Rowan closed her eyes and sighed at his touch. She slid a hand into his curls and made him look up from her shoulder.

"Ray, I told you why I couldn't….but you made a good point. I can't help thinking Gem would likely have tanned my hide if I kept letting that fear get in my way. I'm still nervous, I'll admit it, but I'll do it for you, Ray. Besides, what if you got tired of me saying no and decided to leave, I couldn't bear it. You and the twins mean everything to me," she told him softly and pressed her lips to his.

Ray sighed into the kiss and slid his hands into her hair as he broke the kiss.

"I'd never leave you Rowan, never," he told her as he kissed her again. "Where else would I find someone I loved as much as I love you?" he asked her with a frown as he kissed her again. "Stop talking crazy..." he mumbled against her lips.

Rowan smiled against his lips. "How about I stop talking and start screaming," she purred and raised an eyebrow at him as he looked her over.

Ray pulled back and looked down at her with a grin. "Now where to start..." he wondered aloud with a smile at her.

"Don't take too long to decide, the twins will be home soon enough," she reminded him.

Ray smiled at her and nodded. "We'll go with your idea then," he grinned at her as he moved his hands to her hips and pressed his lips to hers then peppered small kisses down her neck until he reached the swell of her breasts. He showered them with attention using his mouth and his hand. His other hand made a slow teasing journey down her body. His journeying hand reached its goal and he stroked her gently, teasingly. His head moved back up to hers for a moment and he stole a kiss from her before inserting his finger into her, he teased her gently as he moved back to her breasts, then began to kiss his way down her belly. He kept going slowly down her body and then replaced his hand with his tongue and lips as he drew small circles on her hips as he held her down gently.

Rowan slammed her head back into the pillow and gasped…oh, he hadn't done this in awhile. They rarely had the time anymore. Her breathing quickened and a long, low moan escaped her lips as she dug her fingers into the bedclothes. She'd say yes more often if this was the result!

She couldn't hold back the scream as she felt herself go over the edge.

Ray grinned as he raised his head and crawled back up her body. He kissed her softly as he smiled at her and moved her legs slightly as he carefully thrust into her with a groan. He opened his eyes to look down at her and his hand slid down her leg to pull it up over his hips. He closed his eyes as he moved and her name left his lips in a small gasp.

He buried his face in her neck before turning his head and planting kisses where his lips were. She had finally agreed, he felt so happy! He increased his pace as he moaned into her neck and pulled his head back up to look down at her as his hands settled on her hips.

Ray's name left Rowan's lips in a moan as she felt him inside her. She moved with him and wrapped her other leg around him as her fingers dug into his shoulders.

She met his gaze and lifted her head to brush her lips to his. "I love you," she gasped out and buried her face against his shoulder as she felt herself getting close.

She felt her body suddenly give a convulsive shudder and she shrieked Ray's name as she came.

She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath as her body twitched. She took one hand from his shoulder and swiped it across her eyes with a rasping sigh. She caught sight of the clock out of the corner of her eyes. The twins would be home soon. She slid her hands into Ray's hair and kissed him hard.

"You are amazing," she breathed after she broke off the kiss. "But there will be children here shortly, so we have to stop now, much as I am very reluctant to do so," she told him.

Ray panted as he held himself above her and smiled with a nod.

"You wanna tell them we're getting married now? Or sometime later?" he asked her as he pressed another small kiss to her lips.

"Ummmm, let's have an early dinner and then tell them, otherwise we may never get them settled down," Rowan told him.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Chris led the twins up to the flat and knocked at the door since it was locked.

Rowan looked over at Ray and quickly pulled her shirt on over her head and fastened her jeans. She hurried into the front room and let Chris in and greeted him and her children.

"Thanks, Chris."

"Sure," he replied.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him. He seemed off.

He quickly shook his head. "Nowt, I'm fine," he told her. "Best hurry home with this one," he said and gestured at Olivia and beat a hasty retreat before Rowan could ask anymore questions.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Whitney looked at her watch and wondered where Lauren was, she usually came home straight after work. She got up and locked the shop and then checked her phone. No messages. She half-smiled…Lauren would be at the pub. She quickly dug out the box where she kept loose change and put enough in her pocket to buy a drink and then hurried to the pub. Sure enough, there was Lauren. She went and sat next to her friend.

"I think it's his day off today," she said as she sat and ordered a vodka tonic from Tracey.

"I know, but I thought maybe he might stop in, you know. I got to talk to him at the restaurant earlier today at lunch, convinced him to give the place another go."

"And I'm guessing it worked?"

"I think so. He's really nice, Whit, I asked him and Annie to come out with us this weekend."

Whitney nodded. "I'm sure I'll be drinking, whether I'm feeling like a party is another story."

"Oh, Whit, it's going to be brilliant. That Bolton is amazing; asking him to help was genius."

Whitney blushed. "Yeah, he's a great mate," she admitted. "He stopped by the shop and had lunch with me today."

"Really? And….?"

"And nothing, we just ate some of that shepherd's pie Mum made for us and had a bit of a chat, that's all."

Lauren sighed and shook her head. "I despair of you Whit, I really do."

"I don't want to ruin things, do I? He's made it clear we're just mates, I can live with that."

Lauren shook her head. "Maybe I should talk to him, see if I can find out how he feels?"

"NO!" Whitney gasped. "You better not and Molly better not either. I knew the two of you were planning something!"

"No, we weren't," Lauren disagreed, her tone overly innocent and Whitney frowned.

"Don't make me call Molly," she threatened and Lauren laughed.

"Go ahead," she dared and took a sip of her drink. "Well, I should get back. I have one more order to finish before Friday when I need to get myself psyched up for the show on Saturday so I better get busy."

She got up, drained her glass and headed out of the pub. She walked over to the Minute Mart and got a pint of milk for in the morning and glanced in the direction she knew the gym was in with a sigh.

She'd wanted Bolton to do a lot more than hug her, she had to admit. She wished he had, but it wasn't going to happen. They were "just mates". She sighed heavily and turned to head back to the flat.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa finished her movie and glanced at the time. Still no Jack. She sighed as she dropped the empty ice cream tub onto the floor and let the spoon drop into it. She pulled her clothes off and grabbed her pyjamas from under her pillow and changed into them. She snuggled under the covers as she started another movie and grabbed her glass of wine. She sipped it and pushed her worry for Jack aside. He'd be home.

She grabbed her phone off the side and looked at her texts. Nothing from Jack. She bit her lip.

"Let me know you're okay!"

She put her phone next to her leg on top of the covers and took a larger gulp of her wine as she distracted herself with the movie.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Jack winced as his eyes slowly opened. He slowly slid his hands over the soft female for next to him and turned his head to take in the soft fall of blond curls on his chest. Blond curls? But Alyssa's hair was red! Where was Alyssa? He quickly sat up and immediately regretted it as a shaft of pain shot through his skull. He grabbed his head and moaned and then looked down at the woman next to him. He remembered now. It was Annie from the pub. She'd been kind enough to help him to the B&B and he'd…..he sighed and felt guilt wash over him. He'd cheated on Alyssa. The fact they'd had a row and it looked like Alyssa might leave him was no excuse!

He quickly slid from the bed and into the bathroom where he splashed cold water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned. Bastard, he said to himself and grimaced at himself in the mirror. He had to get out of here. He had to see Alyssa. He had to get to work. He caught a whiff of the smell of beer radiating from him and realized he needed a shower first. He quickly got in the shower and began to scrub himself furiously, trying to scrub away everything from the night before.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Annie awoke to the sound of the shower running. Last night had been truly amazing! She hadn't had an experience like that in a long time! She sat up and began to gnaw her thumbnail. How could she do this to Charlie though? Convince him to move all this way and then first opportunity, shag someone else. She quickly stood up and pulled on her clothes. She needed to get home to the flat and try and convince Charlie that everything was okay. She paused a moment. But should she? Charlie wanted to go home anyway. Maybe this was for the best?

She shook her head. She needed to talk to Charlie and sort this out. She pulled on her shoes and crept out of the room. Probably best she didn't disturb the man in the shower. She slipped quietly out the door and moved as quickly and quietly as she could to the door of the B&B and slipped out, she never saw Kim standing at the top of the stairway and watching her go.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan opened her eyes and blinked as she yawned. She was sore, but it was a wonderful sore. Ray had locked the bedroom door after they'd put the kids to bed and with an unprecedented amount of stamina, had proceeded to ravish her nearly all night. She felt completely wrung out and completely and utterly sated and satisfied. She'd barely been able to keep up with him. She hadn't thought agreeing to marry him would affect him quite that way. She glanced at the clock. She was going to have to get moving!

She carefully untangled herself from Ray and pulled on her dressing gown with a wince. Yes, definitely sore. She padded down the hall and into the bathroom, hoping a long, hot shower would go a long way towards easing some of the aches.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa woke groggily and pulled the duvet closer around her before snuggling backwards. She frowned when she hit nothing but more duvet. She turned her head and looked at the empty, untouched space in the bed next to her. He hadn't slept here last night. She sat up sadly and grabbed her phone from the side: no texts either. She bit her lip worriedly and rang his number. Voicemail. Alyssa shut off the call. She hadn't heard his phone ring anywhere in house either. He hadn't come home.

Alyssa felt cold all of a sudden and gathered the duvet even tighter around her. He hadn't come home! What if something had happened to him? He hadn't been good when she left him; she'd left him riled up, upset and angry! What if he'd gone and done something stupid! She jumped out of the bed.

"Jack?" she called out hopefully as she dashed down the stairs and checked every room. Nothing. She sighed heavily and ran back upstairs to grab her phone. Still nothing. She rang his phone and got his voicemail again.

"Jack, please call me and let me know you're okay! You didn't come home last night! I'm worried," she said and ended her message. Alyssa sighed and fell onto the sofa, she glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the mantelpiece and felt queasy. Her appointment at the hospital was in a few hours. She hoped Jack called her before then. She hoped he came home before then!

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ray shifted as he felt Rowan's warmth leave him. He opened his eyes silently to watch her leave the room and stretched out luxuriously in the bed. She had agreed to marry him and overcome her fears. He felt so happy! She wouldn't want a huge wedding, something small. She didn't like massive occasions. They would do whatever she felt comfortable with doing; so long as they were legally wed he really didn't care. Even just him, Rowan, the twins and a few friends would do nicely. In fact, that's all he wanted.

Ray sighed as he heard chattering coming from the twins room and he grabbed up his pants and dressing gown before venturing out towards the twins' room. He peered inside and raised his eyebrows.

"Who's awake and wants to watch cartoons in the big bed while we wait for breakfast?" he asked quietly

The twins' heads swiveled towards their father's voice.

"ME! ME!" Claire shrieked and Denis simply raised his hand and bounced excitedly before climbing off the bed.

Claire saw Denis heading for their father and quickly slid from her bed and raced across the wood floor and slammed into her father, quickly wrapping her arms around him. She shot a smug look at Denis, who ignored it and simply gave his father a brief squeeze and a smile.

"I go down," Denis informed them and began to carefully climb down the steps using the handholds to the side of each step that his mother had insisted be put on to help the twins climb up and down.

Claire looked at her father and gave him a sunny smile and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You smell like cin-mon, like Mummy," Claire informed him.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan finished in the shower and hurriedly dried off when she heard Ray climbing up the steps to the twins' room. She rushed into the bedroom and hurriedly pulled on some clothes and had sat down to pull on her socks when Denis walked into the bedroom.

"Mummy," he greeted her and Rowan picked him up and swung him up into the air as she dropped to her back on the bed.

"Pumeeedown!" he shrieked as she held him up over her head and grinned up at him. She teased him by leaning to one side and almost putting him down and then moving so he was held up in the air over her again as Denis shrieked with laughter.

"Okay," she finally said. "What's the magic word?"

"P-peeease," he gasped between laughter and she finally put him on the bed.

"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked him.

"Bacon!" he crowed and she chuckled. As bad as his father. She flipped on the TV and handed Denis the remote before going into the kitchen and getting breakfast started. She pulled out her phone after tossing the bacon in the pan to cook and sent off a text to Alyssa.

"How went appointment yesterday? I hear nothing from you!"

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Jack quickly dressed in last night's clothes and left the room. He nodded at Kim, who gave him a look he couldn't translate. He shrugged it off and put the key on the desk before heading out the door and walking home.

He quietly let himself in and strode quickly up the stairs. He carefully peered into the bedroom, no Alyssa. He almost felt relieved. He quickly shed last night's clothes and got dressed in clean ones. He went into the bedroom and gave himself a quick shave and brushed his teeth before bounding back downstairs to put the kettle on, once again not thinking to look in the front room as he passed it.

Alyssa looked up sharply as the door opened and she listened to footsteps going upstairs. Jack's footsteps. She sat silently and let herself calm down, he was home. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back onto the sofa and sighed in relief.

She looked up as his footsteps passed the front room and she stood and followed him to the kitchen. He didn't look injured. Good. She marched up to him and punched his shoulder.

"Do you have _any _idea how worried I've been!" she said. "You stay out all night after we've had a row and don't bother replying to my texts or answering my calls! I thought something had happened to you Jack!" she told him, her little tirade ending in another relieved sigh and she closed her eyes.

She opened them again and stared up at him. "Where the hell were you Jack?" she asked him, her anger fuelled by her dissipating worry. She could hear her phone bleeping in the other room where she had left it and ignored it for now.

Jack looked at Alyssa in surprise. He thought she'd walked out on him.

"You left without a word; I didn't know what to think. I went to the pub and got drunk and stayed at the B&B," he told her shortly and poured the water into his mug. He spooned sugar into his mug and then turned to lean against the counter and look at her steadily.

"So, what now?" he asked her. He vaguely heard her phone beeping and wondered who it was, but chose to say nothing. He simply sipped his tea and waited for her reply.

Alyssa frowned at him.

"And not replying to my texts? I trust you have a reason for that!" she added as she folded her arms. "I sent you, what? 4 texts? And called you at least twice Jack! Were you trying to drive me out of my mind with worry because if you were then you almost succeeded!" she told him as she watched him with a morose expression.

Alyssa shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it, Jack! I've been too worried about you to even think about it!" she told him and looked at him properly, taking in his clothes. "Seeing as you're dressed for work you may as well go," she said quietly.

Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket and tossed it down in front of her. "It's dead," he told her sharply.

"I don't know why you're getting so angry with me; you're the one who walked out of here without a word. I didn't know where you went or what you were doing, but that didn't seem to bother you."

She went and sat at the kitchen table and sighed as she rested her cheek on her fist. Her gaze flicked over to him and she simply sat and stared at him silently for a moment. "You're right about what you said yesterday, I don't know what you're feeling," she said after a while. "But I do know what I want, and I want this to be over so that we can forget about it. And, Jack, I just can't deal with this if you're there, too," she told him. "I don't know how to explain to you in a way you'll understand," she sighed.

He watched her sit down and then drank down the rest of his tea. He put the mug on the counter and folded his arms and looked at Alyssa.

"Fine, I guess I'm going to work then. There's no point in me hanging around and trying to find out about things that don't seem to concern me that have to do with my wife who doesn't seem to need me. That's fine," he said flatly and grabbed his car keys from the hook and slammed out of the house. He didn't have his phone, but what was the point? It was dead and he didn't have time to wait around to charge it.

He climbed into the car and listened to the tires squeal as he pulled away from the house quickly and drove away.

Alyssa looked down at the phone in front of her hand immediately regretted her accusatory tone; she looked up at him apologetically. She was sorry for the anger, but not for being worried about him!

Alyssa watched him go with a heavy sigh and winced as the door slammed behind him. She picked up his phone and pressed the buttons aimlessly as she looked down at it, why couldn't he understand? She sat up and grabbed the phone charger from the top of the fridge and plugged it in for him before going back to the front room and grabbing up her own phone. She saw the text from Rowan and paused before replying.

"Going back to the hospital today. Ectopic," she sent back before pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them as she clutched her phone in her hand. She felt like she wanted to cry, but for some reason the tears just wouldn't come.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ray watched his son climb down the stairs with a fond expression on his face before turning his attention to Claire. He chuckled as he picked her up.

"Well, yeah, I suppose I do," he grinned at her. "It happens when I spend the entire night hugging your Mam," he explained as he made sure Denis was all the way down before setting Claire back on the floor and watching her climb down. He waited until he knew that she was safely at the bottom before going down as well.

Ray passed Claire and headed for the bedroom to see Denis with the remote. He grinned as he climbed back into bed and gently picked Denis up and set him amongst the pillows at the top of the bed, before making room for Claire on his other side. He looked at Denis and nodded.

"You're in charge, mate," he said to him as he settled himself in his bed.

Denis grinned at his father and gave Claire another smug look, which earned him a narrow-eyed glare from his sister, before settling back and flipping through channels looking for cartoons. Claire watched Denis for a moment and then flopped against her father with a sigh.

"Sooooo, I gets a pretty dress for married right?" she asked Ray and gazed up at him hopefully.

Ray looked at Claire and frowned thoughtfully.

"I hadn't thought about it really," he said to her with a shrug. "Ask your Mam," he suggested with a small smile as he turned his attention back to the TV and smiled at the cartoon that Denis had finally chosen.

Rowan quickly put together several bacon sandwiches, stacked them on a plate and put the plate and a mug of tea for Ray, coffee for herself and sippy cups of juice for the twins an the bottle of brown sauce on the tray and carried it into the bedroom.

Ray's eyes lit up at the sight of the bacon sarnies and he took his eagerly, disentangling himself from Claire to sit up while he ate.

"What did I miss?" Rowan asked and settled on the bed next to Claire. She handed Ray his tea, put her coffee on the bedside table and gave the twins their drinks before passing out paper plates with a bacon sandwich on each one. She put the tray down with the rest of the stack of sandwiches on it and began to eat.

"I was just asking Daddy if I gets a pretty dress," Claire told her mother. Rowan nodded. "I suppose you should have a new dress," she mused and glanced at Ray before taking another bite of her sandwich. She pulled her phone from her pocket. No reply from Alyssa. Odd.

He swallowed. "If Claire gets a dress then what about Denis?" he asked as he glanced over at his son and tilted his head at Denis as he considered him. "What d'you think Denis? You want to wear a suit like your Dad?" he asked.

Denis looked up at his father and nodded earnestly, then looked back at the cartoons as he took another bite of his sandwich.

Ray glanced at Rowan as she looked at her phone and frowned slightly at the look on her face. "What's up?" he asked her quietly.

Rowan turned to Ray. "Alyssa had an appointment yesterday and I've not heard anything from her about how it went," Rowan replied. "That's very unlike her and I'm really worried that something might be wrong."

Rowan noticed the time and looked at Ray. "Are you off today as well?" she asked him curiously. "Because if not, you better get a move on."

Ray grinned at Denis and ruffled his son's hair affectionately as he glanced at the cartoon on the TV screen.

Ray shrugged. "Everything's probably fine, she and Jack are probably celebrating or something," he told her with a suggestive look before returning to his bacon sarnie.

He sighed and nodded. "I am, yes, but it's also my turn to take these two and Olivia to Nursery, so I've got time," he grinned as he looked at the twins.

"You two need to move in a minute and start getting ready!" he told them.

The twins turned identical frowns on their father.

"You said toons!" Denis argued and Claire nodded vehemently in agreement. Rowan leveled her finger at each of them.

"No arguments. Finish your sandwich and go to the bathroom and get washed up then I'll be up to help you with the clothes while your father takes a shower," she ordered firmly, giving them each a stern look. Claire looked muley, but obeyed. Denis gave a small sigh and did as he was told, too.

Rowan heard the phone beep and quickly snatched it up. She read Alyssa's text and gasped.

"NO! Need me to go with?" she sent back. She couldn't let Alyssa go through something like that on her own.

She looked at Ray.

"She's going to the hospital today, she's going to have to have surgery," Rowan told Ray and bit her lip in worry.

Ray frowned at them as they left.

"If you're ready before me then you can come back and watch Cartoons until I am ready!" he called after them.

He lay back against the cushions as he rested the paper plate on his stomach and looked at Rowan.

"Surgery?" he asked and put the plate on the floor and shuffled closer to pull her against him "Why's she having surgery? What's wrong?" he asked her quietly as he hugged her gently.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa looked at Rowan's reply text and sighed. She didn't want Jack there. Did she want Rowan there? She didn't know any more. She sighed as she fell onto her side and played with her phone. Jack was angry at her because she wouldn't let him come with her. She just couldn't have him there! She wasn't sure why not but she just couldn't have him there. She glanced down at her phone.

"I don't know. I'll probs come round later though."

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

"Keep this to yourself, because I think Jack and I are the only ones who know. Alyssa's pregnant, that's why she was at the doctor yesterday. She's just texted me and it seems the pregnancy is ectopic, which means she has to have emergency surgery. She's going in this morning I would guess," Rowan told Ray quietly.

"She was so happy. I know she always said she didn't want kids, but she changed her mind when she found out she was pregnant. This has got to be a blow," she sighed and pressed her face into Ray's shoulder for a moment.

"I better get them ready," she told him, "and you better shower."

She heard her phone beep again and picked it up.

"Okay, but if you need me there, I'm there. Worried xx," she sent back.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Kim stood for a few minutes and considered what she'd seen. Jack had come out of the same room as that woman. And just as obviously that woman had been up to some serious activity, Kim nodded to herself. What in the world would possess Alyssa's man to spend the night with another woman? She wondered if it had something to do with the way Alyssa had come into the salon yesterday, she'd obviously been furious about something.

Kim stared at the phone some more and wondered if she should call Alyssa and tell her.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Lucy smiled and leaned back in her bed. Finally, a day off! A day away from the hassle and abuse her fellow officers seemed to see fit to heap on her. She knew why it was happening. She'd caused many of them a lot of bother when she'd been younger and they were unwilling to see that she might have changed. She would persevere, however. She had made up her mind to be a police officer and that is what she would do.

She checked the time and climbed from the bed. She pulled out her shorts and a t-shirt and after pulling on her trainers and scraping her hair back into a ponytail, set off for her morning jog.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Whitney caught sight of Lucy jogging past and gave her a wave and smiled when she got a wave in return. She smiled as Lucy jogged up.

"I'm just getting a couple of coffees, what are you up to?"

Lucy shrugged. "Morning jog, and then who knows?" she replied. "See you later."

Whitney waved her off and headed into the restaurant and got the coffees and a couple of muffins. She was glad Jodie had offered to buy. She loved the muffins here. She thought Molly knew how to make them and wondered if she might convince her friend to bake her some if she paid for the ingredients. It was worth a thought.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Lucy kept jogging and caught sight of Chris rummaging in his car. She jogged around the corner before he could see her and bit her lip as her pace slowed. He'd been so nice to her; she really should tell him what she knew. He deserved to know what a cheating bitch his wife was. But maybe she should pay first.

"Maybe, just maybe, I should take some revenge on her on his behalf," Lucy thought to herself. She gnawed the inside of her cheek as she considered the idea. It could be worthwhile. Then she could swoop in and pick up the pieces when he found out what his wife was doing. She barely nodded to herself and set off home.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Charlie looked up as Annie entered the flat.

"You're back, I see," he said to her flatly.

"Yes, sorry, I got stuck helping a friend…" she began.

"Don't lie to me, Annie. I know exactly what you were doing. You went to the B&B with some drunk guy and spent the night with him. I'm not stupid, you know," he accused.

"I never said you were stupid, Charlie."

"Then don't treat me like I am."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it to happen."

"That hardly makes things better, does it? You convince me to move here with you and first chance you get, you're off with some other guy. How do you expect me to feel?"

"Charlie, please…" Annie pleaded.

"No, and the funny thing is, I was going to give up and then I got to talking over lunch with this local girl and she convinced me that I should give the whole thing another chance. She even invited the pair of us out this weekend with her and her friends; to show us how nice the people are here. Well, seems you already know. You've gotten very friendly, haven't you?"

Annie hung her head. She didn't know what to say. Charlie clearly wasn't going to forgive her.

"I never meant to hurt you. I just…."

"You just couldn't help yourself. It's just the way you are," he added snidely. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Don't go!" she begged.

"I can't stay here with you Annie, not after what you did. You were the first…." he trailed off, unable to say more.

Annie felt tears began to track down her cheeks. She had been his first in just about everything now.

"Don't go back to Shieldinch," she asked softly.

"I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm not going to stay here. I have to work today so I'll go there, beyond that, I'll wait and see. But I'm not sure I can forgive you, Annie. You knew how I felt about you. You know that I'd never…." he broke off and sighed. "And you knew I'd never had a relationship."

"I know," she said in a small voice.

He looked at her. He wanted to forgive her, but right now, the pain was far too raw. He hadn't realized it would hurt quite this bad. He turned and left the flat and walked slowly to the pub. He would decide what he would do and where he would go after work.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ginger slipped down the hall, past DSI Hunt's office, and moved quickly down the hall to the main office hoping no one would notice he was late.

He sat down at his desk with a sigh and grabbed the stack of files from his in-box, catching sight of something white falling to the floor as he did so. He frowned and put the files down and reached down and picked up the white envelope that had slipped from amongst the folders.

He turned it over and noticed his name was on it. He furrowed his brow and quickly opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. He unfolded it and felt his jaw drop. Who had put this on his desk? He quickly folded it back up and placed a file folder on top of it.

"I know what you did," the typed note had said. He wondered what the note was talking about exactly and who had written it.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Jack sat in his car in the parking lot of the school and stared at the building and all the kids streaming inside. He had thought one day his own son or daughter would be part of that milling crowd. Did he believe Alyssa? Or was she just having it terminated and telling him something else? He wanted to trust her, but she'd always been so adamant about not having children. Then, she changed her mind so quickly. He just couldn't fathom it. He let his gaze linger on the building a few more minutes and then started the car again and drove away. He stopped in front of the nearest pub. He would drink himself into oblivion.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Kim walked slowly towards the salon, pausing to cast a glance at Alyssa's house. She shook her head and kept walking.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ray sighed as he nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "She'll be fine, now she knows she wants kids they can try again," he told her with a small smile. He clambered off the bed and stumbled through to the bathroom and got into the shower. He was quick.

Ray came back into the bedroom and changed ready for work before grabbing up the paper plates left in the room and dumping them in the bin. He smiled as he looked around for the twins and grabbed himself a glass of juice from the fridge as he sat down on the sofa and waited.

"Hurry up! We need to go and pick up Olivia!" he called out.

Rowan shook her head. Ray wouldn't understand and she didn't want to explain to him that Alyssa's chances would be as small as Rowan's were.

She quickly hurried the twins along and called for Ray to catch as she bypassed the wait for them to climb down the steps by simply dangling them for Ray to grab. She hurried down and went with him to put the twins in the car.

She watched him drive off and then headed back inside to go and get to work in the restaurant.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa sighed and sent one back.

"K"

She glanced at the clock and pulled herself up off the sofa and made her way up the stairs to get ready.

When she was finished, she stumbled down the stairs and grabbed up her phone. She pocketed it as she grabbed her handbag and left the house. Her appointment wasn't for a while yet, but she intended to walk to the hospital. That would take her some time.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Shaz sat with Olivia on her lap as she watched Chris with an amused smile on her face.

"You really should get up earlier, Chris," she told him and sighed. "Come here," she said as she put Olivia on the sofa and moved over to straighten his tie. She smoothed out his collar and kissed his cheek with a small chuckle. "There's toast in the toaster," she told him.

Shaz returned to the sofa and Olivia crawled back to her lap. She settled her there and grabbed her toy dog from the floor. She stroked her daughter's hair and frowned at the clock.

"Ray's late," she noted with a small sigh.

"I did get up early, I just couldn't seem to move fast this morning," he griped and stood patiently while she fixed his tie.

He sighed and sat down to wait. They might as well go in together.

"He's not that late," Chris said. "Besides, it's his day off and you know he always runs slow on his day off when it's his turn to drive."

Ray herded the twins into the car and drove quickly to Shaz and Chris'. He left them in the car as he dashed to their front door.

Shaz smiled at Chris as she picked Olivia's bag up and hurried to the door. She raised her eyebrows at Ray who gave her a bashful look.

"There was bacon and cartoons, not my fault," he immediately told her as he held his arms out for Olivia and her bag. Shaz shook her head at him and looked over her shoulder for Chris

"I'm going to start the car, Chris!" she called into the car then turned back to look at Olivia. "Have fun at Nursery, sweetheart," she smiled as she kissed her daughter's forehead and then smiled at Ray.

Ray grinned back and carried Olivia to the car and settled her in the car seat before driving off the Nursery.

Chris followed Ray to his car to make sure Olivia had everything since Shaz was starting the car and gave Ray a slap on the back.

"Enjoy your day off, mate," Chris sighed and headed for the car. He climbed in and got himself belted in so that Shaz could get them to work.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ray dropped the 3 children off at Nursery then headed back to the Flat. If there was something wrong with Alyssa then Rowan was likely to be worried which meant that she would need him around. He waved at the kids through the window as he drove off back to the Restaurant.

/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Kim went on the cake run and caught sight of Alyssa walking past.

"All right, Lyssa-baby?" Kim asked. She flashed an overly toothy smile at Alyssa, but it quickly fell away as she once again tried to figure out if she should tell Alyssa what she'd seen.

"So, your old man stayed at the B&B last night," she ventured, trying to sound casual.

Alyssa looked up at Kim in mild surprise. "Umm," she said as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"He mentioned something about that, yeah," she said quietly as she looked at Kim distractedly.

"Did you stay there, too?" Kim asked in an overly curious tone. "Only I didn't see you this morning when he left," she said and quickly snapped her mouth shut. She knew she should tell Alyssa. Any woman would want to know if her man was playing away, surely? She just couldn't seem to get the words out.

Annie sat on the bench in the Square and stared miserably at the ground. She had no idea what to do. Charlie would probably leave, without forgiving her and what about that man from the pub? She knew he was married, although it hadn't seemed to matter last night.

She sighed and stood up and started walking towards the cafe. A good cup of tea and maybe some chocolate would help, though she doubted it.

Kim caught sight of Annie walking in the direction of the cafe.

"Oh, my god, it's her," she blurted out before she could stop herself as she gaped at Annie, who was lost in her thoughts and walked unseeing past Kim and Alyssa into the cafe.

Alyssa looked back at Kim and shook her head.

"No, we had an argument and he didn't come home," she said glumly and then said no more. She didn't really want to tell Kim the details of what was going between her and Jack, Kim had issues with keeping her mouth shut and Alyssa didn't want her business spread all around the square.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at Kim and looked after the blonde that had walked past: that new barmaid. She turned her gaze back to Kim.

"The new barmaid?" she asked, trying to inject some curiosity into her tone, and failing.

"Yeah, she was at the B&B last night," Kim blurted and then stood with her mouth hanging open as she realized what she was about to say and quickly snapped it shut. She cleared her throat.

"I better get back to the salon," Kim said in a nervous rush. How could she have been so stupid. She couldn't believe she'd almost blabbed. But Alyssa should be told!

Alyssa looked at Kim mildly and managed a frown

"Why is that such a shock?" she asked Kim curiously then shrugged when Kim ran off. She was happy to be rid of her. Alyssa was in no mood to try and work out what Kim was trying to say: in fact, she wasn't really bothered.

She sighed and continued on her way.

Kim glanced back at Alyssa and sighed. She should have told her, she should have.


	6. Chapter 6

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 6**

Shaz pulled up outside the Station and locked the car behind her and Chris. She smiled at Adam as she led Chris into the office and waved at Ginger as she sat down at her desk

"Morning," she said happily as she caught sight of the envelope on her desk. She sighed, probably some kind of order. She opened the envelope and her brow furrowed curiously at the 5 words. She bit her lip and folded the letter back up to place in her drawer underneath anything else. She glanced around and saw only Ginger and Chris in the office. Chris was her husband and incapable of blackmail, and Ginger was one of her best friends.

She bit her lip as she shut the drawer with a sharp snap.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan kept herself busy so she didn't think too much about Alyssa and how worried she was about her. She wished she could go with Alyssa.. She knew how it felt, not about losing a baby, but about having a reduced chance at having a baby.

"So, how's the bride to be?" Syed asked Rowan in a humorous tone. Rowan twisted her head around and stuck her tongue out at Syed.

"Oh, very mature," he snorted.

"I'm...um..." Rowan paused to think of the right words to use and then she looked at Syed and flashed him an evil grin. "_Very_well satisfied," she said in a wicked tone and turned back to the food she was cooking.

"OH! I did _not _want to know that," Syed protested. Trevor burst into laughter as Rowan began to giggle. Her mood didn't stay light, though; Alyssa popped right back into her head.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger heard Shaz shut her drawer harder than usual and glanced over at her. He caught her gaze and tilted his head at her questioningly; wishing Chris would go and make himself a cup of tea.

Shaz glanced at Ginger and shook her head. She didn't know what the note was about. She didn't want to talk about it. What was she supposed to have done?

"Anyone fancy a cuppa?" Chris asked and glanced around. Ginger shook his head. Chris stood up and patted Shaz on the shoulder as he passed her.

"I'll bring one back for you," he said and kissed the top of her head before heading to the kitchen.

Ginger watched Chris leave and looked around. Only he and Shaz were in here, good. He quickly grabbed the note from his drawer and showed it to her before quickly stuffing it back.

"I think someone knows...you know...about us," he hissed at her. "You got one, too, didn't you?"

Shaz bit her lip and nodded in agreement. "It's got to be someone in the station," she commented. "I think it's safe to rule out Chris, he just isn't capable of something like this," she sighed.

"I don't know," Ginger said. "We only ever said anything the once and there was no one here."

He sighed. "I'll admit, I'm worried."

Shaz looked around and then moved her gaze back to Ginger.

"We say nothing," she decided. "If either of us gets anymore notes or anything then we tell the other," she told him.

"Agreed," Ginger said with a firm nod. "Hopefully, it's just another one of those station pranks and everyone has got one and it means nothing," he offered and sat back at his desk when he heard Chris' approaching footsteps.

Chris came in and put a mug down on Shaz' desk and then sat down at his own..

"Owt exciting going on today?" Chris wanted to know.

Ginger shook his head. "Nope."

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Gene stood outside the nursery with Sammy.

"Remember, you tell me straight away if owt happens in there, okay?" he reminded his son. "You don't tell Mummy, you tell me."

Sammy looked up at Gene and frowned at his father. He nodded regardless and hugged as much of Gene as he could. He turned his head to look at the door of the building and then clung to Gene even tighter.

"Can't I come to station?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I want you to go inside. I've taken care of things, so if anything happens, you let me know, understand?"

He gave Sammy a smile. "I'll see what I can do to get you picked up early."

Sammy looked up at his father and reluctantly nodded.

"Kay," he replied as he let go of Gene's leg and grabbed his little bag. He gave Gene as much of a smile as he could manage before heading towards the door.

Gene followed his son inside and made sure his son got in all right. He gave the woman at the desk a long look before turning and leaving. This bullying business would stop and no mistake. The Gene Genie would make it happen.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Peter frowned as he watched Charlie mope around. He was going to scare away the punters if he kept that up. He walked over and went behind the bar where Charlie was restocking.

"Care to talk about it?" Peter asked him and Charlie looked at him in surprise.

"Not really, no," Charlie said.

"Look, I know it's hard adjusting to a new place and all, especially when you don't know anyone. Why don't you and Annie come round to mine and Molly's for dinner tonight?" he invited.

Charlie looked at him. "I dunno..."

"Oh, come on. Molly's a really good cook, she got trained by one of the best ones around here, have you been to that Walford Diner off the High Street?"

Charlie nodded. "The food was really good."

"Well, the woman who runs that place taught my Molly how to cook. So, come on, say you'll come round after work."

"Trouble is, Annie and I have had a row. So, while I appreciate the invitation..."

"Sorry," Peter said, realizing he might have put his foot in it.

"Look, I was trying to find reasons to stay here, but all this trouble with Annie...I don't know now if I can."

Peter put his hand on Charlie's arm. "Tell you what, you come round, just yourself, okay? I'll even see if I can't get a couple other people to join us, as well. Peggy really needs good bar staff and why let one small road bump drive you away?"

Charlie sighed and folded his arms. "She slept with another man last night."

"Oh. Okay, well, you're still welcome..." Peter trailed off awkwardly. "I better get back to it."

He went back to the kitchen and sent off a text to Molly. "Invited new bloke Charlie round for dinner. Maybe invite mates around too so he can meet people?"

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Molly grabbed her phone up, grateful for the distraction. She smiled at Peter's text and sent one back.

"You gather the guys, I'll tell the girls," she sent back.

"Mine tonight. 7. No excuses :)" she sent to Lauren, Mercy and Lucy.

"Mine tonight, bring Bolton :). 7" she sent off to Whitney.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy's eyebrows went up as she read Molly's text. So, she had not only been forgiven, but it seemed she and her brother's partner were friends. A quiet night out, just what she needed. She went to the wardrobe and pulled out a comfortable pair of khakis and a dressy t-shirt. She could make some effort, she decided as she looked down at her grubby pyjama pants and tank top.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lauren read Molly's text and grinned. "See you then."

Whitney read Molly's text and frowned. She was supposed to invite Bolton? She blew out a breath. Fine...she was clearly being dared. She leaned against the wall and stared at her phone for a few minutes and then finally steeled her resolve.

"Molly having people over at theirs-she said 2 invite u. 7pm. yes?"

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Bolton glanced at his phone as he reached for his bottle of water. He grinned.

"Sure. I'll be at yours for 6:50. I dunno where they live," he sent back. In truth, he had a vague idea where Peter and Molly lived: he'd seen them around the Square often enough. But this way he got to spend some time with Whit.

Molly looked through all her texts then fired one back to Peter after everyone had replied.

"Whit, Bolton, Lucy, Lauren, Mercy and Fats all coming," she sent to Peter.

"Meet at cafe instead," Whitney sent back and heaved a long sigh of relief. Well, she'd got that finished at any rate. Now, she had work to do.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

"See you there," Bolton sent back. He grinned to himself then launched himself back into the ring.

"Okay," Peter sent back. He wondered if he should try and get Annie to join them. He thought about what Charlie had said and decided against it, at least this time.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa got more and more nervous as she got nearer to the Hospital. Her pace gradually got slower and slower until she was almost dragging her feet. She gulped, she was wrong, she did need Jack here. She wanted him here. She fumbled in her pocket for her phone. She dialed his mobile before remembering that his phone was charging at home. She hastily called his office.

"Walford Secondary."

Alyssa bit her lip, Jack's secretary had picked up.

"Is Jack there?" she asked. "It's his wife," age added anxiously. After the way he'd been around her would he even want to talk to her?

"Oh, Mrs. Rimmer, Jack didn't come in today."

Alyssa felt sick. This was all her fault, if she had just let Jack come with her in the first place! "Oh, thanks," she said lamely before hanging up. Jack wasn't at School, didn't have his phone and was in a bad mood.

She fiddled with her phone as the Hospital came into view. She couldn't get hold of Jack.

"Can you meet me at the Hospital? I can't get hold of Jack," she sent off to Rowan and then took small steps towards the giant building. Yesterday everything had seemed so brilliant, now it was just one big painful mess.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan put the plates up on the pass bar and then heard her phone beeping. She got it out and read Alyssa's text with a gasp. She quickly pulled off her apron and tossed it at its hook.

"I have to go, the rush is almost done. If you need help with clean up, have Ray come down. Be back later," she told Trevor and Syed and ran from the restaurant. She jumped in the car and sped away towards the hospital. She quickly parked and sent off a text to Ray.

"Lyss needed me at hospital. Back later," she sent him and jogged towards the door of the hospital.

"Hey," she said as she approached Alyssa and quickly folded her sister into a hug. "Come on, let's get you inside. You'll be fine," she soothed and kept an arm around Alyssa as she walked inside with her.

Alyssa looked at Rowan sadly as they went into the Hospital.

"Jack and I had a fight yesterday and he didn't come home last night. We had another argument this morning and he hasn't gone into school. I don't know where he is, Ro," she said as she clutched at her hand.

"Well, I'm here for you now, Lyss," Rowan said and gave Alyssa a squeeze as they walked to the desk.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Shaz managed to smile at Chris as he came back. She murmured a word of thanks as grabbed up the mug and took a measured sip. She shrugged at Chris' question and looked down at her paperwork.

"Is Ray picking the kids up or is it my turn today?" she wanted to know.

Chris looked over at her in surprise.

"Well, he dropped the kids off so he'll be picking them up," he told her. He gazed at her for a few more moments. She looked...odd.

"Are you all right, love?"

"Oh yeah, course," she said, and shook her head, she needed to pay attention. Shaz raised her eyebrows at him and nodded.

"I'm fine Chris, why wouldn't I be?" she asked him as she twirled her pen.

"You just...you look...dunno," he said with a shrug.

Shaz frowned at him.

"I'm fine, Chris," she told him softly and smiled at him. The last thing she needed, or wanted, was Chris finding out about her and Ginger. It had been an accident that wasn't going to be repeated. But neither Chris nor Simon needed to know. That was the way it was going to stay. Most likely these letters were just a prank and it was coincidence that both and Ginger had got one.

Chris nodded and left her alone. Whatever was wrong, she clearly wasn't going to talk about it.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Jack finally let the pub. He glanced at his car; he'd never be able to drive home. He crossed the street and went into a nearby cafe and ordered black coffee.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lauren rushed home and gave Whitney a quick wave as she bounded up to the flat.

"Whit, what are you going to wear to Molly's?" she called out.

"Just what's I've got on. It's only Molly and Peter and us," Whitney called back as she entered the flat.

"I know that, but still," Lauren shouted back.

"Look, you don't have to dress up," Whitney said from behind her.

Lauren looked around the wardrobe door. "But it's just dinner, why not go out after?"

"Lauren, I can't. I'll have to come straight back here. I have orders to finish and I have to make sure things are ready for the show. I've only got four days left."

Lauren sighed. "I can't wait until after this show, then you'll be fun again."

"Only if the show is a success and I get the backing from the bank to expand. Otherwise, who knows..." Whitney told her and trailed off.

"Now, get yourself sorted so we can go. I'm meeting Bolton at the cafe, Molly told me to invite him."

Lauren nodded and quickly turned her head so her attention was back on her clothes so Whitney couldn't see the sneaky smile that crept across her face.

Whitney walked with Lauren to the cafe. Whitney looked inside, but no sign of Bolton yet.

"Do you want to wait here with me or go on to Molly and Peter's?"

"I'll stay with you."

Whitney nodded and sat down at one of the tables outside the cafe with Lauren to wait.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan sat nervously, waiting for Alyssa to wake up after her surgery. She glanced at her watch again and leaned back in the chair and gazed at Alyssa's pale form lying on the bed.

She flipped open her phone.

"Lyss should be waking up soon," she sent to Ray. "Cook for twins or take them to restaurant. Be home after she wakes."

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ray glanced down at his phone and raised his eyebrows at her text. He sighed and nodded.

"K. You okay?" he sent back.

Ray sat up and stretched as he looked around the house. He enjoyed his days off, but often found himself at a loss of what to do. If he had the twins with him then he knew that he wouldn't get a moment to himself. He wandered into the kitchen and looked around. He was bored, plain and simple.

Normally Rowan was downstairs and he could go and bother her. But Rowan was busy with Alyssa. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he should go for a walk? He sighed and glanced at his watch. He had to get the twins anyway. He'd walk. Nursery wasn't far and they could walk back to the Restaurant to wait for Chris and Shaz to finish work. Maybe go to the park.

Ray shrugged and slid on his shoes and headed out to pick up the twins and Olivia.

"I'm fine," Rowan texted back.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Charlie walked out of the pub and looked at the piece of paper Peter had written his address and directions on. He folded the paper back up, stuck it back in his pocket and headed off. Lauren caught sight of him and nearly jumped up and went to talk to him, but she'd told Whitney she'd wait with her. She sighed, drawing a glance from Whitney and looked back down at her phone. She'd just see about talking to him another time.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa opened her eyes and focused on the room around her. She attempted to smile at Rowan and then looked down at her stomach. She carefully pressed a hand over it and felt her heart plummet. She didn't have a baby anymore. She swallowed thickly and looked back up at Rowan.

"Can we go? I don't want to be here," she said quietly.

Rowan looked at Alyssa and took her hand.

"You can't leave until they release you," Rowan told her. "I'll go tell them you're awake, okay?"

Rowan got up and peered out the door before slipping out and walking to the desk.

"Excuse me," she said to the nurse. "Alyssa's awake."

Alyssa nodded at Rowan and sighed heavily as she lay back and stared absently at the ceiling. Her hand stayed resting on top of her stomach. She wanted Jack; she shouldn't have told him that she didn't want him here. In all honesty she had thought that she could do this without him, keeping him from getting hurt while she did so. But now she wanted him here, with her. She sniffed and rubbed her hand over her eyes to catch the tears before they fell.

The nurse looked at Rowan then glanced into the room where Alyssa was laying.

"We'll need to keep her in at least another day, just to make sure everything's okay. She should be okay to leave at around this time tomorrow," she said helpfully.

"Well, you should maybe let the doctor know she's awake, so they can make sure she's okay," Rowan said in exasperation. She turned and went back into the room where Alyssa was and sat down next to her again.

"I've told them you're awake, hopefully a doctor will be along soon, but they probably won't release you until tomorrow."

Alyssa sighed and nodded at Rowan. Another day in hospital. Once again she wished she had had an abortion. Then all she would have to have done was take one little pill and not stay in hospital.

Her glance fell on the ring and she smiled at Alyssa. "I've got some good news, however, might make you smile."

She held up her hand so Alyssa could see the ring. "I finally said yes to Ray. We're getting married."

Alyssa's face lit up and she took Rowan's hand and studied the ring. She smiled broadly.

"Congratulations!" she grinned. "Have you set a date?" she asked excitedly as she carefully sat up.

Rowan shook her head. "It just happened yesterday and to tell you the truth, I'm still a bit stunned," she said with a chuckle. "Ray is over the moon, though. I can't believe he's so excited. We're just going to do something small. I don't want a big fuss," she added.

Alyssa nodded, her smile growing wider. "I'm glad it's happening!" she exclaimed. "You two are so perfect together," she added as she squeezed Rowan's hand.

"I do hope that I get to be a Bridesmaid?" she teased and then gasped. "And you have to have Claire as a Bridesmaid, too! How cute would she look?" she said excitedly.

"Well, we are going to keep it small but you will be my Maid of Honor, or whatever you want to call it. Claire and Denis both are going to be involved somehow, not sure how though. Ray and I haven't really gone into details about it just yet."

Alyssa nodded. "Let me know when you do, I'll help you with whatever," she offered.

Alyssa smiled happily at the prospect. "We'll get some wedding magazines," she said. "Do you know the style of dress you want?" she asked curiously as she leant back a bit and looked at Rowan. "We're going to need to get lingerie, too, of course," she said with a laugh.

"Oh no, I think I'm creating a monster," Rowan groaned. "Oh, good grief, I'm sure Ray will love that."

Alyssa smiled at Rowan "You saw what I was like over my own wedding!" She smiled "What made you think I'd be any different about yours?" She asked with a laugh.

Rowan put her face in her hands. "I'm doomed," she joked with an air of tragedy and then looked back up at Alyssa. "I probably shouldn't be making you laugh."

Alyssa smiled back and shrugged. "Probably not, no," she said as she glanced at the bed then looked back up at Rowan. "But what're you gonna do?" she said with a smile. "They can't stop me laughing."

"But it might hurt," Rowan said, her tone concerned.

Alyssa shrugged. "If it does I can't really feel anything, I don't even want to know how many painkillers they've got me on," she said with a sigh.

"My sister the druggie," Rowan teased.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Jack finally finished off his sixth cup of coffee and managed to eat a burger and chips. He sat and moped for a few minutes and then finally stood up and left the cafe. He sighed as he stood on the pavement outside the cafe for a moment and then set off at a slightly brisk walk towards the hospital.

Jack walked into the hospital and asked to be directed to Alyssa.

He stood for a few moments outside the door and then went inside.

Rowan stopped mid-sentence and looked up at Jack.

"I should wait outside..." she began.

Jack held up a hand. "No, I just came to make sure she was okay. They said you just woke up."

Alyssa looked up sharply as Jack came in and she nodded silently before speaking.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I called your office earlier, you weren't at work," she commented questioningly.

"No, I wasn't," he said shortly. "Ro, give us a minute," he said and Rowan looked at him for a moment, the surprise at his tone evident on her face, but she stood up and gave him a long, measuring look, causing him to look at the floor, before walking out of the room.

He took a few steps closer to the bed.

"When do they release you?" he asked.

Alyssa watched Rowan leave and then turned her attention back to Jack.

"Tomorrow sometime," she sighed. "Why didn't you go to work?" she wanted to know. "I tried to get hold of you," she added quietly.

"I couldn't go, I was worried about you."

Alyssa nodded and sighed as she pulled her arms to rest over her tummy protectively. She looked at him and bit her lip.

"Jack, I'm sorry for telling you that I didn't want you here, I realised as soon as I got to the hospital that I did," she said quietly as she looked away from his face to stare unseeingly at the floor. "I was all over the place yesterday," she added softly.

Alyssa looked up from the floor and gazed at him, her vision blurring with tears which she wiped at furiously before they fell.

"Sorry I bit your head off," he said softly. He walked over and sat down in the chair where Rowan had been sitting earlier.

"So, hopefully the doctor will be in soon and tell us how you are doing. Does it hurt or have they given you decent enough painkiller?"

Alyssa shrugged. "If it does hurt then I haven't noticed yet," she sighed as she looked at him.

Slowly she reached out and carefully slid her hand into his, a soft sigh escaping her at the contact.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan sat down in one of the chairs in the hall and waited. She wondered if she should just go home. Jack was here now, he could look after her. She sent off a quick text to Ray.

"She's awake and Jack is here. Waiting for them to talk for a bit, then I'll be home," she sent.

Jack closed his hand around hers and leaned back in the chair. He was at a loss of what to say. She wasn't lying about the surgery, however. He felt guilty for not believing her in the first place, but the way she'd gone about telling him, he couldn't help but think otherwise.

He looked up as Rowan poked her head in the door.

"Jack's here, so I'm going to go ahead and go, okay Lyss?"

She walked over and gave Alyssa a quick squeeze. "I'll come by to see you tomorrow, either here or when you get home."

She looked up at Ro as she left and smiled, waving at her. "Thanks, Ro," she sighed as Rowan left.

Rowan gave Jack a small smile and then headed out, nodding at the doctor as she passed him on his way in to see Alyssa.

Jack noted the doctor coming in and tightened his grip on Alyssa's hand.

Alyssa sighed as Jack kept hold of her hand, he wasn't completely angry with her then: he couldn't be if he was willing to hold her hand. She looked at Jack as he squeezed her hand and followed his gaze to the doctor coming through the door. She swallowed and squeezed Jack's hand back.

The Doctor came forwards with a confident smile and grabbed her notes from the foot of her bed.

"Mrs. Rimmer..." he said slowly as he glanced over the page in her folder then looked up at her, Alyssa nodded.

"Well, there was no complications with the operation and you should be completely fine to go home tomorrow," he told her with a gentle smile and Alyssa nodded silently.

"Now, I have to inform you that your chances of conceiving again is reduced…" he started, glancing at Jack as he did so, the husband needed to know this information, too. Alyssa glanced at Jack too and she nodded.

"We know," she said quietly.

The Doctor nodded. "You should also know that the possibility of you having another ectopic pregnancy is around 15%," he said and Alyssa nodded again, squeezing Jack's hand. "Okay," the Doctor said as he replaced her notes and nodded at the pair of them.

Jack listened to the doctor and nodded. He'd expected to hear that.

"I'll come by later," he said as he left the room.

Alyssa let out a long breath and looked at Jack. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked him quietly.

"No, but hopefully you can understand why I was in the first place," he said softly. He let out a long breath. "Anyway, should we see what time they are going to feed you? I've had a burger and chips, but I doubt they've fed you yet if you just woke up."

Alyssa shook her head. "They haven't, no, but I don't think I can eat anyway," she told him. "And yes, I can understand," she added softly.

Alyssa tugged on his hand gently. "Will you please give me a hug? All I've wanted since you stormed out this morning was your arms around me," she told him, trying to sound confident, but her fear of him saying no to her casting a shadow in her eyes.

Alyssa leant back comfortably in his embrace; she sighed softly and shut her eyes for a moment. She listened to him, feeling the rumbling of his chest against her cheek.

"But that can be really expensive, Jack," she told him. "Besides, there's only a 15% chance I will have another ectopic pregnancy, and if we are looking out for it and check as soon as we think I'm pregnant then it shouldn't be too much of an issue," she added as she looked up at his face.

"Just the same, we're going to make sure it doesn't happen again until you decide. It's not worth the risk," he told her decisively.

She shifted her position as she looked up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked him. "I don't think I've asked you that yet," she said quietly as she stroked his arm.

"I'm okay," he assured her, 'apart from the guilt,' he added in his mind.

Alyssa sighed and nodded in agreement. "Okay," she said quietly.

"Now, it's getting late and you should get some rest," he told her. "Yes, I know you've only been awake a couple of hours, but that was different from proper sleep. I'll stay here," he told her and gently pushed her back onto her pillow. He brushed a soft kiss across her lips and sat back down in the chair.

Jack gazed at Alyssa for a moment and then stood up and leaned over to lift her and gather her in his arms. He shifted so he could sit next to her on the bed and held her tight. He could feel the guilt causing a sickening churn in his stomach. He would have to make sure Alyssa didn't find out about what had happened.

She smiled at him. "Good," she nodded as she shifted herself a bit so that she could see his face better. "I hate it when we argue," she said to him.

Alyssa didn't argue. She watched him sit back down and then curled on her side so that she could look at him until she fell asleep. "Shouldn't you go home?" she asked him "You haven't been in work today" she stated "Surely you should go in tomorrow?"

"I might after you go to sleep, but I want to just stay here a bit and make sure you're okay," he told her and tried to tell himself he wasn't being overly supportive due to the overwhelming guilt he was feeling, even if he had thought she'd walked out on him. He squeezed her hand and settled comfortably in the chair to wait for her to fall asleep.

Alyssa sighed and nodded. "I'm fine," she yawned as she snuggled down and shut her eyes.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Bolton had a quick shower and changed hurriedly. He made his way towards the Cafe happily and controlled his expression when he saw Lauren with Whitney; he had been hoping to spend the short amount of time while they went to Molly and Peter's with her alone. He schooled his expression to a beaming smile as he made his way over to the two girls and took a seat.

"So, we going there now or hanging here for a bit?" he asked them as he sat back in the seat.

Whitney smiled at Bolton and stood up.

"Go now," she replied and Lauren jumped to her feet and made her way down the road at a quick walk. Whitney watched Lauren go and shook her head with a small chuckle.

"I guess she's in a hurry," Whitney said to Bolton and started after Lauren, at a slightly slower, normal pace.

Bolton watched Lauren hurry off with a small smile. At least now he got to be alone with Whitney for a little while.

He turned to her with a shrug. "So, are you still nervous about this weekend or are you excited yet?" He wanted to know.

"A bit of both, actually," Whitney told him. "Sometimes more of one than the other, it seems to change every few minutes."

She smiled and blushed. "I want us to practice one more time before Saturday and we'll have to all travel there together and make sure we get there early enough we don't miss our short rehearsal slot."

Bolton nodded at her and grinned "Fine by me, just tell me a time and I'll be there!" he promised as they reached the door to the flat and he reached out to press the buzzer.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy ran a brush through her hair a final time and left the flat, setting off at a brisk walk towards Molly and Peter's flat. She noticed Chris and Shaz leaving the station and climbing into their car, but looked away quickly.

She quickened her step so they wouldn't see her and hurried on to Molly and Peter's. She still wondered if she shouldn't tell Chris what she knew.

Lucy went up to the door and pressed the buzzer to her brother's flat.

Molly looked up from the pan as she heard the buzzer and smile as she dashed to the front door. She wrenched it open and beamed at Lucy.

"Heya," she smiled as she stepped back to let Lucy in. "D'you want a drink or anything?" she asked as she headed back to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"Hi," Lucy greeted. "Oh, wow, something smells good," she remarked. She nodded at Molly. "I'll have whatever you've got, beer or wine, I'm not picky," she replied.

Molly grabbed the nearest can of lager and handed it over to Lucy

"There are glasses in that cupboard," she said as she pointed to the cupboard above the oven.

Lucy thanked Molly for the can and popped it open and took a drink.

"Hey, sis," Peter said as he came out of the bedroom. "Glad you could make it," he said to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He heard the buzzer go and reached for the handset.

"Hello? Yeah, hi, Charlie, come on up," he said into the handset and stepped around his sister to crack the flat door.

Charlie walked in and went up the stairs and into the flat. He smiled at Peter as he closed the door behind him.

"Hiya, thanks for inviting me. Smells good," he remarked.

"This is my sister, Lucy and this..." he turned and gestured at Molly, "is my partner, Molly. Lucy, Molly, this is Charlie."

"Nice to meet you both," Charlie said to them.

"You too," Lucy said and shook Charlie's hand before going over to gaze out the window.

"Looks like the others are nearly here," she said absently as she noticed Lauren hurrying over and Whitney and Bolton farther behind her down the road.

Molly smiled at Charlie. "You too," she smiled and then glanced over at Lucy.

"Good!" she said. "The food is nearly done," she smiled and then looked back at Charlie.

"Do you want anything to drink Charlie?" she asked.

Charlie nodded. "Anything's fine, thanks" he said and smiled at Lauren as she came in.

Molly nodded at Charlie and got him a can of lager too. She passed it to him. She looked up at the sound of the buzzer and grinned.

"Nice to see you again," he said to Lauren.

Lauren widened her eyes in surprise. "Hey, nice to see you, too. So, you've decided to stay then?" she asked curiously.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know," he replied and Lauren made a face. "Why not?"

"Annie and I have had a row, I'm not sure...well...I'm not sure of anything," he told Lauren softly.

"I'm sorry," she said and patted his arm.

"That'll be Whit and Bolton," she commented to no one in particular as she went to get the door. She smiled at the sight of Bolton with Whit and gave Whit a knowing look.

"Hey, guys," she grinned as she stood back to let them in.

Bolton smiled at Whitney before looking at Molly and moving past her into the house. "Hey," he said back.

Molly raised her eyebrows at Whitney and gave her a quick hug.

"What? You told me to bring him, so I did," Whitney sighed in Molly's ear. "So you can just stop with the looks, yeah?"

Molly smiled and nodded. "But you didn't _have _to bring him, Whit," she grinned.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lauren glanced around and moved to Charlie's other side so they could talk more quietly.

"So, what happened?" she wanted to know.

Charlie glanced over his shoulder at the others talking across the room.

"She slept with someone else," he told her, keeping his voice low.

Lauren let out a faint whistle. "I'm really sorry. Are you going to leave then?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. You and Peter both told me to give this place a chance, but it's a bit difficult when just a few days after getting here she goes and has a one off with someone else," he told her and Lauren nodded.

"I don't see how she could do that to you. You're smart, you're funny, you're good looking," she told him and he blushed.

"Just stop. I don't think I'm exciting enough for her. She's led a pretty adventurous life so I think I might be a little boring for her now."

"You're not boring."

"Thanks," he said again and patted her on the shoulder. "A few mates like you and maybe I will stay."

She made a small gesture at the group of people. "They're my best mates," she told him. "Lucy used to be a real bitch, but she seems to have settled. She's training to be a police officer now, if you can believe that. And Whitney over there owns her own shop and designs the clothes she sells in it. I don't know Bolton that well, he's a mate of Whit's. Molly's great. Total sweetheart and Peter's really nice, too. Nothing at all like his father, thank goodness."

Charlie nodded as she spoke and took in the details she provided.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Peter glanced at Molly. "Is it ready?" he asked her and headed over to the oven and opened it to check. He wasn't sure if she had become territorial in the kitchen the way Rowan could be and he didn't want to overstep the mark and interfere with her cooking. He might end up in the spare room otherwise.

Molly smiled and nodded at him.

"Nearly," she said to him.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Bolton grinned at Whitney and nodded at Molly as she glanced at him.

Molly smiled at Whitney. "Fine with me, text me details and I'll make sure I'm there," she said agreeably then dashed off to the oven and pulled the dish out carefully and placed it on the table. She smiled as she dished up the extras.

"Okay, food's up," she called out to everyone as she made sure there were enough plates and cutlery out. She looked up as the buzzer went and went off to answer the door. She grinned as she came back with Fatboy and Mercy following after her.

"Fats is here guys, the party can start," Fatboy announced and Mercy rolled her eyes at the others before taking a seat as Molly passed her a drink.

"Whoo-hooo! Food," Lucy laughed and winked at her brother. Lauren gave Charlie a small push towards the table and followed him over to it and sat down next to him. Whitney sat down next to Lauren and wondered if Bolton would sit next to her. She wasn't going to ask him to, though.

Peter helped Molly put the food-filled plates on the table and then sat down.

"Wondered when you were going to get here, Mercy," Whitney said.

Bolton glanced at everyone as they took their seats. He smiled. He could sit by Whitney without making it seem to deliberate. He sauntered over and casually sat next to her, instantly reaching for the potatoes to cover his motives.

Mercy smiled at Whitney and glanced over at Fatboy purposefully. "We would have been here sooner if someone didn't take so long getting ready."

Fatboy swung around and held up his hands, a broad grin on his face. "Hey, babygirl, perfection like this takes time y'know!" He shot back.

Mercy snorted at him and shook her head.

"Fatboy, you are _such _a girl!" Lucy teased him and began to laugh.

"I take less time getting ready, and I put on makeup," Lauren added.

"I remember how rough it was getting time in the bathroom when you were renting a room at the house," Peter joined in.

Charlie looked around at them all and chuckled.

"How long do you take in the bathroom?" Lauren asked him.

"Oh, not very long at all, as I'm sure you can tell," he replied and grinned at her.

Whitney looked at Bolton. "And what about you?"

Fatboy looked around at them all and grumbled as he piled food onto his plate grumpily.

Bolton grinned and looked at Whitney with a small shrug. "Depends where I'm going," he told her. "I don't take ages though," he added with a grin at Fatboy.

"I'm sure that's good to know," Lauren said teasingly to Bolton causing Whitney to give her a look. Lauren smirked back smugly and began to eat her food.

Bolton smiled back at Lauren, completely missing the expression on Whitney's face as he loaded up his plate eagerly.

"So, where are you from?" Lucy asked Charlie.

"Annie and I moved here from Glasgow, well, Shieldinch," he told her.

"And what do you do?"

"Well, I worked in a pub up there, and I had a local radio chat show, and I'm hoping to be a writer," he told her.

"Careful, she's in the police so I guess she wants to interrogate you," Peter warned and Charlie laughed and shrugged.

"I don't mind, honestly."

Lucy made a face at her brother before taking a drink of her lager.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters and are they as annoying as my brother?"

"I have a younger sister, and no, she's not that annoying," he told her.

Peter snorted and took a bite of his food.

Molly smiled at Peter and Lucy. She decided she liked seeing them together, the arguments between them, though not exactly viscous, were fairly amusing. She made sure every ones plates were full and that they all had drinks before settling herself and beginning to eat.

She turned to Charlie. "Are you down here permanently?" she asked him curiously.

Charlie looked over at Molly.

"I don't know. I don't think it was the original plan to stay here permanently, but certainly for a good while. Now, it's hard to say," he told her and scratched at his temple.

Lauren gave Molly a look that said "don't ask" and focused back on her food.

"I think that Rowan is finally going to marry Ray," Whitney told Molly to change the subject. "When I went to get the coffees this morning she was wearing what definitely looked like an engagement ring."

"Who do you think she'd get to cater her reception?" Lauren wondered aloud.

"Certainly not my dad," Peter scoffed and Lucy snorted laughter.

Molly frowned slightly at Lauren but dropped the subject; she turned to Whitney and grinned.

"It's about time! They've been together for ages now! About as long as Mum and Gene, and they got married years ago!" she said with a large grin.

"I know," Whitney said. "I didn't ask her about it, but it can't be anything else."

"Since Rowan taught you how to cook, maybe you could cater the reception," Lauren joked at Molly.

Peter pursed his lips. "I could help," he added. "It's worth a thought."

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan got back and checked over the restaurant before going upstairs.

"I'm home," she called out as she walked in.

Ray looked up from his stretched out position on the sofa and smiled. "HEY!" he called back as he looked at the twins that were sitting on his legs. "You pair gonna get off me so that I can go and see your Mam?" he asked them teasingly as he moved his legs to jiggle them about.

The twins looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Nope," Denis said and grinned at his father.

"You is comfy," Claire said and flopped over.

Rowan chuckled and dropped her bag on the kitchen table before walking over to Ray. He knelt down next to the couch and smiled at the twins before kissing Ray.

"Alyssa is fine. They'll let her out tomorrow," she told him then turned to look at the twins.

"I'm really hungry though, looks like there are some nice, juicy children here for me to eat," she said and grabbed Denis and pretended to chew on his arm and then grabbed Claire's leg before she was able to move it out of the way and pretended to chew on it while Claire shrieked with laughter. Denis got his arm out of Rowan's grasp and hurriedly crawled across his father.

"Donlethergemmmeeee!" he begged, the fear on his face spoiled by his giggles.

"That's okay, I'll cook this one up," Rowan said and grabbed her shrieking daughter and held her tight. She stood up and let out an evil cackle as she carried her kicking and screaming daughter to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and looked at the contents then looked at her daughter.

"Well, there's still a piece of chicken and some potatoes left, I guess I'll have those instead," she told her daughter.

"Yaaayyyy!" Claire cheered and bolted from the kitchen back to the couch the minute Rowan put her down.

Ray cuddled Denis as his son clambered up his body. He smiled down and lifted his head up to watch Rowan and Claire in the kitchen. He chuckled as he reached down and scooped up Claire as she came running back. He hugged his children and looked back over the sofa at Rowan.

"They've eaten, Ro," he told her with a smile. "We nicked some stuff from the Restaurant," he said with a large smile at the twins.

He shifted his position and handed Denis the TV remote as he made himself comfortable and made sure there was enough room on the sofa for Rowan if she chose to join them.

"Well, I didn't figure you had starved them," she remarked from the kitchen as she waited for the food to heat up. She walked back into the front room with her plate and sat down and glanced over at him as she cut a piece of chicken. "So, teaching the children the fine art of thievery? What next, lockpicking?" she asked before she took a bite. She shifted her gaze from Ray to the twins, who were scuffling over the remote. She reached over and snatched the remote from Claire as she wrestled it from her brother's grasp. Claire let out a shriek of protest and Rowan gave them both a look.

Ray shook his head. "No. I'm a police officer!" he retorted. "How would that look, criminals for kids!" he said to her with a look at the twins. "You're not allowed to be criminals," he informed them with a frown.

Rowan threw a cushion at him. "Then don't say you nicked the food from the restaurant," she corrected him.

Ray batted the pillow away. "All right then, took, borrowed, acquired," he listed for her with a shrug.

"I think it's bed time," she threatened. The twins both gave her identical glares as they folded their arms and leaned against the back of the couch. Rowan shook her head and looked at Ray.

"How much sugar did you give them?" she asked him in an annoyed tone and began flipping through the channels.

"We had cake," Denis was quick to volunteer.

"An ice ceeem," Claire sang. Rowan quickly swallowed her mouthful of potato and gave Ray a look.

"Dis much," Denis added and spread his hands wide and Claire nodded, her eyes wide and her smile wider.

Rowan took a deep breath and let it out then took another bite of potato.

"You weren't supposed to tell her that!" he hissed at the twins. "We said we'd keep the ice cream part a secret!" he added reproachfully, clearly he was going to have to teach them how to keep secrets better.

He gave Rowan a sheepish look and shrugged and pointed at the twins. "Not my fault, look at their faces, and they said please and everything!"

Rowan swallowed her mouthful of potato and gave Ray a long steady look. "So, not teaching thievery, but secret keeping," she chastised him. "And I don't care what their faces look like or that they said please, it's one or the other," she told him, knowing it was pointless. He was going to spoil them regardless how many rules she put down. She sighed heavily and after a glance at the twins who were giggling at seeing their father being told off, turned her attention back to her food.

She finished up eating and stood up. She handed her empty plate to Ray and grabbed hold of her children.

"Bedtime for real, now," she stated and tucked a twin under each arm. "You can wash that for me," she told Ray with a nod at the plate and carried the twins down the hall and made them climb up the steps.

"Night!" Ray called out as Rowan carried the twins away, he looked at the plate then carried it through to the kitchen and gave it a quick wash in the sink, he'd learned to use washing up liquid sparingly now and Rowan no longer gave him her frown when he washed up for her.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

She came back down after she got them settled.

"I'm going to bed, too, it's been pretty tiring today," she told him and stifled a yawn.

Ray looked up at her and switched off the TV. He was back in work tomorrow so supposed he should start thinking about sleeping too. He followed her to the bedroom and crawled into the bed. He looked at her.

"Are you really mad at me for letting them have ice cream _and _cake?" he asked her as he pulled back the covers so that she could slide in, too.

Rowan sighed and looked back at Ray before sliding into bed next to him.

"A little, yes, we agreed we wouldn't let them have too many sweets," she reminded him. "Cake and ice cream is supposed to be for extra special occasions like birthdays, otherwise it should be just one or the other. It's just harder when you bend the rules for me to not look like a bad guy when I won't do it and yes, I know it's usually the case, one of us has to be the bad guy, but it would help if you would play by the rules more often, seeing as how you're a police man and all," she told him and poked him in the ribs.

"Now, go to sleep," she said and kissed him softly before laying her head against his chest, cuddling up and closing her eyes.

Ray sighed and wrapped his arms around her. He would try to keep to Rowan's rules, but the sight of their pleading little faces made his resolve melt every time. He would try, though. He grabbed a fistful of duvet and pulled it over them. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he shut his eyes.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Whitney bit back a yawn and toyed with her empty glass.

"I should be getting back now, lots to do tomorrow," she remarked and looked over at Lauren, who nodded.

"Yep, I'm in early as well, lot of early paperwork to sort," Lauren agreed.

"I'll see you Friday," Whitney said to Bolton and then went over to hug Molly.

"Thanks for dinner," she said and after a quick wave at Peter and Lucy who were washing up in the kitchen, she headed out the door.

Lauren gave Molly a quick squeeze. "Dinner was great," she said.

"Bye all," she called over her shoulder as she rushed after Whitney.

"I should go, too," Charlie said. "Thank you very much for dinner," he said to Molly. He walked over to Peter and clapped him on the shoulder. "See you at work tomorrow and nice to meet you," he said to Lucy.

"See you tomorrow," Peter said. "Thanks for coming."

"Nice to meet you, too," Lucy nodded and went back to drying the plates and putting them away.

Molly looked at Lauren with a grin then turned to Peter with a small frown. "I'll wait for her to start making plans then offer," she said.

Molly hugged Lauren and Whitney goodbye and smiled at them as they left.

"You're welcome," she called after them as they left.

Bolton came up to her and grinned. "Cheers for dinner," he told her as he glanced over his shoulder to watch Whitney go. Molly rolled her eyes at him and tugged on his sleeve to pull him away from Peter and Lucy.

"You like Whitney?" she asked him.

"What?" Bolton spluttered and Molly put her hands on her hips.

"Do. You. Like. Whitney?" she asked him.

Bolton shrugged and Molly sighed heavily. "I need words, Bolton!" she told him.

Bolton frowned at her. "You're really bossy you know that?" he snapped at her and Molly waved away the comment. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said dismissively. "We're not talking about me, don't change the subject!" she said and stared at him expectantly.

Bolton shuffled uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, I guess," he said and Molly's eyebrows rose higher. He glared at her. "All right! I really like her!" he told her.

Molly nodded, satisfied. "Then tell her!" she said in exasperation and Bolton frowned at her. "And have her reject me?" he snorted. "I don't think so!" he said.

Molly let out a short laugh. "Why do guys never have a clue!" she said and looked at Bolton, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Trust me; it's very unlikely that she'll reject you."

"It's unlikely that who'll reject who?" Fatboy asked as he came across their conversation, he looked from Bolton to Molly and nodded knowingly. "This is about Whit?" he added with a grin. Molly rolled her eyes. "This, is none of your business, Fats."

Fatboy shrugged at her and smiled at Mercy as she came closer and he took her hand. "We just wanted to say thanks for the food, Molls," Mercy told her with a smile as she gave her a quick hug. "See you later," she said and Molly waved them off.

Bolton looked back at Molly once Fatboy and Mercy had gone. "I'll see you, Molly," he said as he headed towards the door and waved at Lucy and Peter. "See you guys."

Molly waved as she watched him go then went to help Peter and Lucy tidy up.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan watched the last of the late lunch leaving and sighed. She didn't begrudge Trevor time off, but the timing could have been better. Of course, it was a family emergency and it couldn't be helped. Today, it wasn't so bad. Breakfast had been busy, but lunch not so bad and from now it would be slow. However, Syed needed tomorrow off, which meant she would be stuck with James in the kitchen. James was passable help in the kitchen, but not as fast and Sunday morning breakfast was often very busy. She shrugged to herself. Couldn't be helped. She finished the stacks of plates and then pulled out her phone.

"Maybe go to pub tonite?" she sent to Ray. They hadn't done anything to properly celebrate yet, and though it wasn't much, a few drinks at the pub were better than nothing.

"Thinking of going to pub tonite join us?" she then sent off to Alyssa.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Whitney smiled as more orders were handed to her. Nothing overwhelming, but her designs seemed to have gone over somewhat well. Then, the shocker as two buyers had pulled her aside at different times and presented her with potential contracts of what and how much they were willing to buy if she could provide. Whitney thanked them when they allowed she could give them a definite answer later. They knew she was small, but these offers meant she just might get the loan from the bank.

She stood and spoke to the sponsors of the show for a few minutes as they congratulated her on doing so well and she accepted the bottle of champagne they handed her. She bit her lip and walked back to the area that had been partitioned off for her group. She opened her binder and held up the orders and the two contracts.

"We did it!" she squealed and grabbed Molly into a hug.

"Thank you so much for your help," she said, and began to blink back tears.

She hugged Lauren. "Thank you."

"Awww, Whit, you're welcome."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small stack of business cards. "These are from people who were impressed with your DJ skills in the show," she said as she handed them to him and then hugged him. "Thank you so much."

She stepped back and beamed at her three friends and sniffed.

"Well, if we're ready to go I think we should go celebrate," she told them.

"Definitely time to go to the pub," Lauren agreed. Whitney was about to argue that the pub might not be as fun, but remembered Charlie was no doubt working and even though he seemed to be getting along with Annie now, it wasn't keeping Lauren from hoping.

"Pub it is," Whitney agreed.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger came back from lunch and searched his desk again. So far, every day over the past few days there had been another note. This morning it had said: "Wonder if I should tell someone what you did?" He knew Shaz was still getting them, too, though she'd been off the past two days. He wondered if whoever was leaving the notes had left one for her on her days off or if they had skipped her, knowing she wouldn't be at work. He'd been tempted to ask, but chosen not to when she'd arrived that morning. It hadn't helped that Chris and Olivia had been with her.

He knew it had to be someone at the station. Who else could have possibly overheard them the one time they had spoken of it. Unless…someone had seen them at Chris and Shaz' flat. No, he thought, the curtains had been closed and the lights had been off in the front room anyway. They wouldn't have been easily seen with only the light from the TV and he didn't think they'd even been within sight of the front room window. He shook his head. No, someone had to have overheard them. But who?

He slammed a desk drawer in frustration and threw open the file on his desk. He wondered if the next note would be a demand for money. He was just glad Ray was down the hall and Alex was off today. Shaz should be back from lunch soon, and hopefully alone. He would have a chance to talk to her about the notes.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Annie made herself a cup of tea and looked over at Charlie napping on the couch. At least he was back in the flat after staying the past few nights at the B&B. She was sure he was going to leave Walford and go back to Shieldinch. She'd been slightly surprised when he'd turned up last night. He hadn't forgiven her, not yet, but he was still here and he was back in the flat, even if he wasn't back in the bed. She walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Wake up, Charlie, we need to get back to work," she told him. Peggy said we should be back by 3 and it's nearly that."

Charlie cracked open his eyes and looked at her.

"All right. You couldn't make me one of those?" he asked with a gesture at the mug she was holding.

She nodded. "Sure." She went and fixed him a cup as he went into the bathroom and washed his face. He accepted the mug she handed him gratefully and drank it down as quickly as he could.

"Right, let's go," he decided and headed for the door. Annie quickly put her mug in the sink and followed after him.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ray looked down at his phone in relief as it went off and he grabbed it eagerly. He smiled at Rowan's text and sent one back.

"Definitely."

He looked at Gene's office and sighed, the Guv seemed to be in a bad mood a lot recently, Ray knew that it was to do with Sammy. He could tell because Alex constantly looked worried. A moody Gene and a worried Alex meant something wrong with Sammy. It wasn't that difficult to work out. He sighed. He knew Alex had the day off today, most likely she was looking after Sammy. Surely that meant that Gene would be in a better mood.

He was curious though, he wanted to know what was happening.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa smiled at Rowan's text. "Sure," she sent back.

Tanya was off work looking after Oscar so she was in again. It seemed like forever since she had last been at work. Jack had insisted that she take a couple of days off to recover from her operation, but she was bored and wanted to be busy. She was glad when Tanya called and said that she desperately needed her to work. So here she was. And she was happy to back. She still felt tender and sore but the pain was getting less and less each day. Soon she would be completely fine.

She was glad that she and Jack seemed to be fine after their arguments. She hated fighting with him. She much preferred them how they normally were. But that had been their first proper, big argument. And she was glad that it was over. She sat down on the chair behind the desk and sent a text to him.

"Rowan wants to go to the pub tonight," she told him.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Molly laughed happily along with Whitney and hugged her back, enjoying her friend's happiness and success.

Bolton took the cards from her with a broad grin. "Cheers," he said to her.

Bolton and Molly nodded at the suggestion of the pub and Molly held Bolton back as she watched Lauren and Whitney head off. She glared at him. "You haven't told her yet have you?" she told him and he shook his head.

"Then tell her now!" Molly insisted and Bolton snorted.

"Yeah, good plan, have her think that I'm only interested in her because she's suddenly successful!" he said moodily and Molly frowned at him. "She won't think that!" she said indignantly.

"How the hell do you know!" he demanded. "You don't know what she'll think, Molly!" he snarled at her and she shrugged. "I know that she likes you Bolton, and that she gets jealous whenever she sees any other girl flirting with you, and her mood instantly lightens whenever you're around!" she snapped back at him. "So tell her already!" she ordered him before running after Lauren and Whitney.

Bolton hung back for a few more seconds then went after the 3 girls, Molly's words heavy in his minds as his gaze focused on Whitney's back.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Shaz juggled her sandwich and cake as she came back into the station and headed straight for the kitchen. She'd decided to go and buy lunch then eat it in the station today; she had too much to do to sit around in the Cafe or Pub at lunchtime. She grabbed down a plate and loaded her food onto it as she got herself a cup of tea. She headed back to her desk and dropped into it, picking up her sandwich and taking an unenthusiastic bite as she reached for a folder. Her gaze flicked up and landed on Ginger for a moment.

She was still getting letters, little notes, threatening. She shredded every one of them. She didn't know who was doing this, she wanted to know. She didn't want Chris finding out and was beginning to wonder whether she should just tell him before someone else did. But she didn't want to hurt him, and there was a chance that this person was just bluffing. She sighed and took another bite.

Ginger walked over to Shaz and sat on the edge of her desk.

"So, did you have notes for the days you weren't here, or was there just one from today?" he asked her curiously. "I mean, if they are following your schedule and only leaving notes when we're working, it's definitely a fellow officer. If the notes are here all the time, it might be some one else who just happened to be wandering around the station and if that's the case, it's going to be very hard to find out who it is. I'm also worried the next note is going to be a demand for money."

Shaz swallowed her mouthful and shrugged at him. "They pretty much keep with my shifts," she clarified. "But I shred them all anyway," she added as she took another bite from her sandwich.

Ginger nodded and pursed his lips as he thought. "So it's probably one of our fellow officers," he said quietly.

"And if they ask for money then they aren't getting any, I'm not going to be blackmailed," she said.

"Why don't we ask for the station CCTV and run through it to see who's doing this?" she suggested.

"We can try, but if it's a fellow officer, they're going to know how to get around that," he told her. "Besides, loads of people come in here on legitimate business. How would we know who might be coming in to drop the notes?" he asked her.

"We look for a pattern, someone who visits my desk and yours and no one else's," she said. "As far as we know it is just us, which means there's only one thing that these notes can be about," she added with a sigh. "So they have to be leaving notes on just our desks, we find that person," she suggested.

"I guess it can't hurt to try," Ginger agreed. "But I don't think we'll get the coverage we want. I'll go get the disc," he said and slipped out of the room to go to the CCTV room. He slipped the disc for the week into his pocket while distracting the officer who was monitoring the screens and hurried back to the main room.

"Okay, I've got the disc for this week, good thing they change discs on Saturday," he said as he sat on the edge of her desk again, his body positioned so no one could see what they were doing. He handed her the disc and watched her put it into the disc drive on her computer so they could watch it.

Shaz nodded and tapped a beat out on her knee anxiously as she kept one eye on the screen and the other looking out for people coming into the office. She was glad it was lunch time and that everyone had gone out.

Ginger watched the screen, watching various people drop things off on discs, apart from the other officers in CID, only Trainee Beale had been at all their desks dropping off files.

He paused the playback and tapped the screen. "Well, we can't tell if she's putting things in the drawers, but whom else could it be? Surely it's not someone in CID. I don't think any of them were even here that day, she was though," Ginger speculated.

/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Jack looked up from the weeds he was pulling and quickly yanked off one of the gardening gloves to pick up the phone.

He smiled at Alyssa's text.

"YES YES YES," he sent back and then quickly pulled the glove back on. The sooner he got done with this the sooner he could shower. Then he could walk Alyssa to the pub from the salon. Perfect. He would make sure to avoid Annie. He really wasn't comfortable with the idea of being around her after what had happened.


	7. Chapter 7

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 7**

Whitney waved excitedly to Charlie as he pulled up.

"Bang on time, Charlie, thank you so much for this," Whitney said as she opened the back door of his black cab. Lauren ran to the back and opened the boot and she and Whitney carefully laid the garment bags with the outfits in them inside and closed it before climbing into the cab. Lauren nudged Molly and jerked her head at Bolton.

"He's never going to tell her is he?" she huffed quietly while Whitney was still standing on the curb and couldn't hear them speak.

Molly shook her head at Lauren with a sigh. "I've had another word with him, he reckons that she's going to think he only likes her because of everything she's got going for her now," she said. "Stupid idiot," she added huffily as she looked over at him.

"Bolton, come on!" Whitney yelled over and then ducked into the front seat of the cab. She quickly twisted around and grinned at her friends.

Bolton looked up at the sound of Whitney calling his name and launched into a jog to catch up with the girls. He noted the looks he was getting from Lauren and Molly and ignored them. He knew they were still trying to get him to admit his feelings to Whitney, but that wasn't going to happen. He was sure she'd take it the wrong way, and he didn't want that. It was best he left it alone.

Molly shrugged at Lauren and rolled her eyes as she followed Bolton into the cab.

"I never thought I'd say I can't wait until Monday," she told them and Lauren nodded and then looked at Molly.

She frowned. "What happens Monday?" she asked.

Whitney rolled her eyes.

"I go to the bank with all this," she said and shook the folder before stuffing it in her bag. "I'm going to need to find a good place to hire people who can sew if this works out. I'll have to reorganize the room I sew in now, too. It's big enough for at least six people if I put the other stuff in the stockroom," she mused. 

Molly nodded with a smile and then turned her head to stare out of the window as Charlie drove them back to the Square.

"I'll help if you want," Lauren offered.

Whitney grinned at her. "Right now, I'm more concerned about you helping me celebrate," she shouted and Charlie cleared his throat.

She leveled her finger at Bolton. "Don't forget your promise about buying me drinks," she reminded him.

Bolton grinned at Whitney and nodded. "I hadn't forgotten, though, I have to admit, I'd rather it be celebrating," he told her with a grin as he leant back in his seat and kept his gaze fixed on her. He knew that Molly and Lauren knew he liked Whitney, but he wasn't going to tell her. She didn't like him anyway; she'd said she just wanted to be mates. He would respect that.

"Well, there is much to celebrate I think," Whitney said in a posh accent and then grinned. "I got loads of orders and you got loads of DJ contacts and how many guys asked for your numbers?" she asked Molly and Lauren.

Lauren blushed. "I think I lost count," she giggled. "But Molly got more than I did," she added and winked at Molly.

Molly looked at Lauren and snorted. "Hardly!" she smiled. "Whenever I turned to look for you, you were in the centre of a group of guys," she said with a laugh.

Bolton zoned out for the rest of the ride and watched Whitney's reflection in the glass of the window instead of actually staring at her. He puzzled over what Molly was urging him to do. He knew that if he didn't tell her soon then Molly or Lauren would probably do it for him. He didn't want that. He'd have to tell her tonight, she was going to be drinking; she would be less likely to reject him if alcohol was influencing her decisions. He nodded to himself, that's what he'd do.

Lauren snorted and looked at Whitney and shook her head dismissively while twirling her finger next to her ear. "She's crazy," she mouthed and gestured at Molly and Whitney burst into laughter. She quickly handed Charlie the money when they arrived at the pub and chivvied her friends from the cab.

"Let's go, let's go, time to par—tay," she announced and slung her arms around Molly and Lauren as they walked into the pub.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\

Gene stumped out of his office and looked at Ray.

"What are you looking so happy about?" he grunted and gave a lopsided smile so Ray would know he was joking. "I know it's almost time to go home, but you needn't look quite so excited. I'm thinking about going to the pub when we're done here, what do you reckon?"

Ray nodded. "Rowan and I are already going to the pub, Guv," he smiled. "So yeah," he grinned back. "I'm up for the pub," he said.

"What's up with you recently?" he asked cautiously. "You're always moody," he added with a shrug.

Gene gave Ray a look. "Nowt you need to be concerned with," he said and went outside to smoke.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\

Rowan helped Nora and Mercy clean the dining room and then all four of them took care of the kitchen in short order.

"You know, let's just close up early," she suggested and grinned.

"I'm out of here then, Rowan," Syed said and gave Rowan a quick kiss on the cheek before nearly running out the door. Rowan looked at Mercy and Nora.

"Well, what are you waiting for, go, go," she shooed them out and locked the restaurant door behind them before going back upstairs. She locked up the deposit and then went up to the twin's room.

"Hi, Abi, ummmm, how would you feel about making some extra money?" she asked the girl. Rowan was grateful the girl had agreed to occasionally babysit when the restaurant was shorthanded and Rowan was busy. It was only three or four hours, but Abi seemed to enjoy the extra cash.

"How?" she wanted to know.

"Well, Ray and I were thinking of going to the pub. So, would you mind staying for another couple hours or so? I can make you dinner," she pleaded. Abi bit her lip and gave Rowan a considering look before grinning.

"Sure," she said. "Is it to celebrate?" she wanted to know and pointed at the ring, "and they told me."

"Yes, just a quiet drink or two," she admitted. "What would you like for dinner?" she asked.

"Sketti and meeballs," chorused the twins who had been busily making a fort in the corner near the window.

Rowan cocked an eyebrow at Abi.

"Spaghetti is fine," Abi told her. Rowan nodded and went downstairs and quickly cooked dinner for Abi and the twins and made sure there still some brownies for them to have for dessert. She whispered the location of where the brownies were hidden to Abi and then kissed the twins and headed out. She briskly walked to the station and went inside. She waved at Adam and noted she'd arrived just in time for Ray to leave.

She walked to the end of the hall first and went into the main room. "Don't suppose you two would like to come to the pub and have a drink?" she asked them.

Ginger looked up and caught sight of the ring and practically leapt over his desk.

"You're actually doing it?" he gasped and she blushed and nodded. He pulled her into a hug.

"Of course I'll come for a drink," he told her and then grabbed her hand and held it up so Shaz could see the ring.

"Look what she's done!"

Shaz gasped and came out from behind her desk. She wandered over and took Rowan's hand to inspect the ring. She glanced up with a grin. "Don't bother telling us, then," she teased before hugging her.

"Congratulations," she exclaimed. "When did it happen?" she wanted to know as she released Rowan.

"Just Monday, but we've been so busy and we'd been sort of keeping it quiet until we're ready to announce it," Rowan replied.

"But you're wearing the ring, it's going to cause questions," Ginger told her.

"Yeah, but only my employees at the restaurant have seen it, I've haven't had time to go anywhere else really."

She jerked her thumb towards the door. "I better go get him," she said and gave Shaz and Ginger a cheeky wink before heading out the double doors and down the hall. She poked her head around the door and smiled at Ray.

"Ready to go, acuisle?"

Ray looked up at Rowan happily and then looked around with a frown "Where's my little troublemakers?" he asked her as he stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. He slung an arm over her shoulders.

"I've asked Abi to watch them a few more hours. I made them all dinner and do you know a 17-year old girl that would refuse extra money?" Rowan explained and chuckled.

Ray shrugged. "Probably not," he agreed as he followed her out and trailed after her towards the pub.

"Pub?" he asked her as he lead her through the station, waving briefly at Adam as he passed the front desk and took Rowan outside.

"I am ready for drinking, acuisle," she agreed and walked out with him.

Ray held the door of the Vic open for her and followed her to the bar. He smiled at Annie and glanced at Rowan before ordering.

"A pint please, and..." he looked at Rowan again. "Vodka Lemonade?" he asked.

Rowan nodded. "Oh, yes."

She looked behind her and saw Jack and Alyssa coming in.

"Better add another pint and a white wine spritzer to that, acuisle," she told Ray and jerked her chin in their direction. She never noticed Annie's face going pale at the sight of Jack with Alyssa. Annie quickly ducked her head to cover her reaction. She'd known he was married, but he'd said his wife had left him. Clearly he'd been mistaken.

Annie put the drinks up on the bar and took Ray's money.

Ray pushed Rowan's drink across the bar to her as he grabbed up his pint and turned around to look at where Jack and Alyssa were. He shrugged and looked back at Rowan.

"So, you do realise they're going to want to know when we're getting married?" he said to her with a raised eyebrow.

Rowan picked up her drink and looked up at Ray.

"Well, it is sort of important information to know, don't you think? It's one thing to say it's going to happen, it's a whole other thing to say when," she explained and laced her fingers with his.

Ray nodded at her slowly as he took a sip from his pint and studied her.

"Well, when do you want to get married then?" he asked her. "It's up to you, Rowan, I don't mind when as long as we do," he shrugged as he reached out a hand and stroked her cheek briefly.

Rowan smiled at Ray and shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Shaz nodded silently once Rowan had left and she rewound the video and paused it.

"There!" she exclaimed as she pointed at the screen; she had paused it so that Ginger could see Lucy Beale shutting one of the drawers in Shaz' desk.

"Why else would she be shutting a drawer if she hadn't put something in there in the first place!" she said angrily.

"Maybe it was already open, Shaz, we didn't see her open it, but still, I can't see it being anyone else," Ginger admitted.

Shaz frowned at him. "We also didn't see anyone else closing any draws," she told him. "It has to be her!"

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Lucy carried the final stack of files towards CID. She was getting mightily tired of having to hump all this paperwork around instead of sitting in on the interesting investigations. She thought again of Alex's offer to mentor her. None of the other officers seemed to be taking her seriously. She was still being harassed and it was getting tiring. She couldn't dare complain or it might make things worse. But DSI Hunt had been impressed with her and Alex had seemed to as well. It would definitely be better than being stuck with what she was having to deal with now.

She stumped down the hall, glad that she was done for the day once she'd dropped these off. She shifted the folders so she could reach the door handle and went inside the main room and nodded and smiled at Shaz and Ginger when they looked at her.

"Just more paperwork," she told them and dropped some files in Chris' desk tray before walking over to Shaz' desk.

Shaz looked up at Lucy sharply and watched her coldly as she moved around the office. She watched her as she came over to her desk and folded her arms as she watched the younger officer.

"You're in this office a lot aren't you Lucy?" she said coolly.

Lucy put the files for Shaz in her tray and then looked up at her.

"Well, yeah," Lucy replied with a shrug. "I have to bring all the files over, so I'm in here at least twice a day. Why?"

Shaz nodded slowly.

"Are you ever asked to bring anything other than files into this office?" she asked, her tone slightly accusatory as her gaze flicked over Lucy.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head at Shaz. "Like what else?" she asked in confusion. "I don't understand. They give me the files and I carry them in, that's about all there is to it."

She looked at Shaz and then at Ginger who was also giving her a searching gaze. She began to feel uncomfortable. What in the world was going on?

"Can I ask what this is about...ma'am," she added, her uncertainty causing her to pause and almost use Shaz' name. Who were they to sound so accusing anyway? 

Shaz tilted her head sceptically as she watched the young PC.

"I just want to know if they give you anything else to bring to this office," she said simply, her tone still cold.

Lucy held out the files. "Just what's in the stack they hand me. I'm just supposed to bring it in and put the paperwork in the trays," she explained with a gesture at Shaz' in-tray. "They put post-its on so I know what goes where, that's it," she added.

"It's all basically banded together, files, paperwork, anything like that, I don't have to go through it and mess with it," she pointed out.

"So, no one's given you any post or anything like that to deliver in here?" Ginger asked.

"Well, if they did, it would be in the stack of files and stuff," Lucy told him, her tone slightly exasperated, "sir," she almost forgot to add. She was getting mightily tired of this. She wished she knew what they were on about.

Shaz chewed her lip as she continued to study Lucy Beale. She nodded silently and sneaked a look at Ginger, then returned her gaze to Lucy.

"So no letters addressed to myself or DC White that you've been told to deliver?" she pressed.

Lucy huffed out a breath, but tried to keep her temper. She held out the files she still held.

"Look, then, this is the stuff I bring in all the time," she cried, her temper getting the better of her. "What is it you're getting at anyway? What is it exactly am I supposed to have done? I'm not stupid, you know," she snapped. They clearly thought she had done something, what it was, she had no idea.

Shaz glared at her. "Oh no, I don't think you're stupid, Lucy, quite the opposite!" she snapped back. "But even you should know that threatening and blackmailing police officers is a rather stupid thing to do!" she said angrily.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Blackmail, what?" Lucy burst out. "What are you talking about? I'm not doing any such thing!"

She gaped at the pair of them. Threatening and blackmail. Not that she hadn't thought about it.

"I don't believe...what makes you think..." she tried and failed. She was at a loss for words. She had done nothing!

Shaz growled at Lucy and pulled the most recent letter that she hadn't shredded yet and slammed it down on the desk.

"Stop playing dumb and innocent and own up!" she snapped angrily.

"Own up to what? I haven't bloody done anything!" Lucy shouted back. She looked at the piece of paper Shaz had slammed down on the desk and then back at Shaz and Ginger.

"Are you saying you haven't been putting these letters in our desks?" Ginger asked with a gesture at the paper.

"I don't put _anything_ in the desks!" Lucy told him. "I put the stuff in the tray and move on, that's it!"

She glanced down at the paper and pointed at it. "What's it supposed to be anyway?"

"You're saying you don't know what it says?" he pressed.

"No, I _don't_!" Lucy nearly shrieked.

Shaz folded her arms at Lucy and then looked pointedly at the door.

"Get out," she ordered coolly.

"Going," Lucy said sharply as she frowned at them both. Now, she was angry. She still wasn't sure what was going on, but she had an idea it had to do with what they'd done. Someone else must know, too! Lucy narrowed her eyes and glanced back at the closed doors to the main room as she turned the corner, this wasn't over.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled to Alex's number. She'd had enough of being pranked and bullied and harassed. Alex had offered help when no one else had. She pushed the 'call' button and waited for Alex to answer.

Shaz glared after Lucy.

"It was her!" she muttered to Ginger.

"I'm not doubting you," Ginger said. "I personally don't see who else it could be."

He popped out the disc and held it up. "We'll hang onto this as evidence, since we don't actually have any fingerprints on the envelopes…." he said and trailed off. "We'll have to watch again to see if she was wearing gloves at any time."

Shaz nodded with a sigh. "Sure, we can do it later, right now we have all of this," she said gesturing at the mass of files that Lucy had brought into the office with her. "To get through," she said as she pushed his share of files towards him and grabbed at her own.

Shaz looked at her computer and picked the first file off the pile and opened it unenthusiastically. How dare Lucy deny it! It was blindingly obvious that it had been Lucy that was leaving these notes everywhere! It couldn't be anyone else!

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Alyssa smiled at Jack's reply. He was eager. She knew he was sorting the garden out today, she'd set him that task by complaining about it. He was being a lot more attentive than usual lately she'd noticed. She reckoned that it was only because he was concerned about her after her operation but she wished he'd stop. She was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic from the attention he was giving her all the time.

"I finish at 5," she sent back to him then put her phone in the drawer. She began a doodle on the corner of the appointment book.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Jack worked his way through the weeds and sighed heavily as he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. One less thing to worry about when break started. Then, maybe they could spend a few weeks up north at the cottage. Get away from it all for awhile, that was what she needed.

He went inside and scrubbed himself down in the shower and then pulled on some comfy jeans and a t-shirt before walking over to the salon to get Alyssa.

He peered around the door to make sure it was empty and then walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me, miss, how much for a Brazilian?" he asked. 

Alyssa looked up and shook her head at him, a smile playing around her lips.

"No, Jack, you're not having a Brazilian," she told him with a smile as she shut the appointment book and went to lock the back door. She came back out and looked at the time. "Oh what a shame!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Sir, but we've just shut for the day, you'll have to come back on Monday," she said with a grin.

Jack chuckled. "Ah, well, isn't that just my luck," he huffed and threw his hands up in the air. "So, if this place is closed maybe you could come have a drink with me?" he asked.

Alyssa smiled at him and moved around the desk.

"I think I'd better let you know that I am actually a married woman, so we can't let my husband know," she said to him with a small grin as she slid her arm around his waist.

"Ooooo, so you're a bad girl?" he asked and wound his arm around her. "Fantastic, let's go," he added and hustled her out of the salon.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Kim drained the rest of her drink and looked at Denise.

"Another?" she asked.

"Haven't you had enough?" Denise wanted to know.

"That's only three, no big deal, D," Kim complained and went to get another drink. She avoided ordering from Annie and felt her heart stop a moment in her chest when she saw Jack and Alyssa come in. Great, just what she needed, she thought with a sigh.

"Feeling better, Lyssy-baby?" Kim greeted. She might as well get her hellos over with, then it wouldn't look like she was avoiding them.

Alyssa spotted Rowan and Ray instantly and began to make her way towards them.

She smiled at Kim and nodded. "Much, I'm just bored of confined to the house, I can't tell you how relieved I was that Tanya needed me in today!" she said with a small look at Jack.

Kim nodded and went back over to Denise and sat down.

Alyssa slid her arm from around her waist and looked back over at Ray and Rowan, she looked back up at Jack. "Looks like Ro and Ray have got us drinks," she smiled at him.

"Yes, it does look like that indeed," Jack agreed. He quickly grabbed Rowan into a hug and then grabbed her hand to look at the ring.

"Nice one, mate,' Jack said and slapped Ray on the arm. He took his pint and handed Alyssa her wine.

"So, when's the big day?" he asked Ray and took a drink of his pint.

Rowan snorted a laugh and looked down, she couldn't look at Ray knowing what the expression on his face had to be.

"Let's go sit down," Rowan said to Alyssa and dragged her towards a table.

Alyssa left Jack and Ray to it as she followed Rowan to a table. She smiled as she sipped her wine.

"So, when is the big day?" she asked with a grin. "And don't you dare forget your promise about asking me to help with organising this, Ro, I am holding you to that," she said as she levelled her finger at Rowan's face with a small chuckle.

"No idea," Rowan said. "I'll have to think about it I guess. I told Ray I'd figure it out."

She sat down and chuckled at Alyssa. "Of course I'm going to keep my word, you've done this once already. I don't have a clue."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick magazine.

"I did buy this though, last night," she said as she put it down. "I just want a simple dress, simple everything."

Alyssa nodded eagerly and her eyes lit up at the sight of the magazine. She reached over and flicked through it, glancing up at Rowan studiously for a moment before looking back at the magazine. She bit her lip as she flicked through pages, folding down corners to mark certain pages as she went.

She passed the magazine back with a smile. "I marked the dress styles I think would suit you," she said with a grin as she reached for her glass again.

Rowan watched Alyssa fly through the magazine and shook her head.

"You never cease to amaze," she told Alyssa, her tone full of admiration. She took a long gulp from her glass and began to page through and see what Alyssa had marked.

Alyssa sat back comfortably as she watched Rowan go through the pages she had marked, occasionally pointing things out to her on other pages as Rowan went through the magazine herself. She glanced up and around the pub after a moment and watched the other people before getting bored and moving her attention back to Rowan and the magazine.

Rowan watched Alyssa out of the corner of her eye and tried not to laugh.

"So, where's your notepad, why aren't you making a list?" she teased.

Alyssa stuck her tongue out at Rowan. "Who says I'm not already doing that at home?" she retorted with a sly smile.

"Well, then feel free to share here, Lyss," Rowan shot back and nudged Alyssa with her elbow.

Alyssa shook her head. "It's not finished yet," she said quietly as she cradled her glass and looked at Rowan with a smile.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Ray watched Rowan and Alyssa as they left and then turned to Jack with a shrug and a rather smug grin.

"We haven't decided when, yet," he said. "I'm just overjoyed that she finally agreed," he said as he glanced at the two women again, he looked back at Jack.

"You were lucky, mate, Lyss accepted your first proposal straight away, took ages for Ro to accept mine," he said.

Jack nodded. "True enough. Things could get complicated though," he warned Ray as he gestured at Rowan and Alyssa sitting with their heads together. "I'm willing to bet Alyssa is going to help her plan."

Ray glanced over and raised his eyebrows. "Looks that way," he sighed.

"Though Ro won't let Lyss dominate everything," he added with a grin as he watched the two women."I don't think I'd like it if Lyss made Rowan into something she isn't," he said thoughtfully and looked up at Jack. "I know you love Alyssa and everything, but if she made Rowan into a clone of herself I think I'd go mad," he chuckled and looked back over at them.

"I think Alyssa might surprise you. She knows full well her style doesn't suit Rowan, she'll find something that does. She really could do better than just managing a salon, she had very good taste," Jack told Ray proudly. "She can be bossy though, when she knows what she's talking about." 

Ray considered Jack's words and thought about some of the clothes that Rowan bought when she had gone shopping with Alyssa and silently agreed that Jack was right, though he could sometimes see Alyssa's influence here or there Rowan never got anything that wasn't _her._

"So," Jack began. He took a drink off his pint before he continued. "When do the pair of you think you'll announce the happy news?"

He grinned at Jack "Well, now's as good as any other time" he told him. Ray glanced over at Rowan and then made his way over to her, glancing at the magazine she was absorbed in before tapping her shoulder with a smile.

"You wanna make the announcement now?" he asked her happily.

Rowan glanced up as Ray tapped her shoulder.

"I didn't know we were making an announcement," she said to him. "I thought we were just having a little celebration."

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "And how are we supposed to celebrate if people don't even know that it's happening?" he asked with a small snort.

"So, what, everyone in the world needs to know?" she asked him, her tone slightly teasing. She held up her drink. "This is me, celebrating," she added with a small giggle.

Ray nodded. "Fine," he said with a grin. He kissed the top of her head and then climbed up onto the seat. He cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of everyone in the pub.

"I'd just like everybody to know," he began with a grin down at Rowan. "That I've asked Rowan Tremaine to marry me, and she, has said yes," he announced proudly to the pub.

Rowan blushed at the various shouts of congratulations and dropped her head to the table.

Alyssa laughed and tugged on Ray's sleeve to make him get down from the seat. Ray looked down at Rowan and spotted the look on her face and hopped back onto the floor quickly. He grinned broadly at her.

"I am so embarrassed," she mumbled and then looked up at Ray. "I might have to kill you," she said, her face still bright red. She looked at Alyssa. "I should kill him, shouldn't I?"

Alyssa looked at Rowan and patted her shoulder. "I'd wait until you get home before you kill him," she advised with a chuckle.

Jack laughed and clapped Ray on the back.

"I think you're in for it, mate," he warned and grinned before glancing at Rowan and Alyssa. "Definitely in for it."

Ray looked at Jack and shrugged. "That might not be so bad," he said as he looked at Rowan. "All depends on what 'it' is," he grinned.

"I have a feeling 'it' will be very unpleasant," Jack mused. He nudged Ray as people began to walk over, offering to buy drinks for the happy couple.

"Well, looks like you won't have to pay the rest of the night," Jack joked.

Ray shrugged and looked over at Rowan, he'd make it up to her. He just felt that everyone should know that was all, and what better place to announce it than the pub!

He grinned at Jack and nodded. "We may have to stick around for a bit," he said happily and looked at Rowan and Alyssa. He sighed and looked at Jack. "The grovelling starts here," he muttered.

Rowan nodded at Alyssa. "I'll have to do it outside, though, otherwise I'll end up with blood everywhere," she said as she glanced up at Ray and then away as people began to stop by to give their best wishes. Rowan looked at Alyssa after Mo finally finished going on about all the discount gear she could get Rowan for the wedding. "I'll have to make it really painful."

Alyssa chuckled and nodded. "I'll lend you my toolkit," she smiled. "So much damage you can do with a toolkit," she added with a look at Ray.

Rowan's gaze brightened. "A toolkit, that sounds very…useful," she said, raising her voice slightly and glancing sidelong at Ray.

Ray looked over his shoulder at Rowan and pulled a face.

She turned her attention back to Alyssa. "So, this list then…."

Alyssa nodded. "I'll bring it over when I've finished it, it's basically a load of stuff that I think you'd like, dresses that would suit you, etc," she explained briefly.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've already been planning things for me," Rowan teased. "I imagine you couldn't resist."

"Ro!" she said with a grin. "_Wedding _is the magic word!" she laughed.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Jack chuckled. "I hope you're good at groveling, then," he said. "Do you want to stay here or go play darts? I'll take it easy on you in deference to the fact you might get beaten once you are home."

Ray chuckled and looked over at the darts board. "If you going easy on me means I stand a chance of beating you then, darts it is," he grinned and led the way over to the board.

"Of course, you should get another pint, since it's being bought for you," Jack advised.

Ray grinned at Jack. "That's not such a bad idea," he grinned as he changed direction and detoured to the bar.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Bolton started slightly as he felt someone kick him and looked up to see Molly following Whitney and Lauren out of the cab. He shook his head before following the girls and stretching as his feet hit the pavement.

"Right then, let the drinking begin!" he grinned as he gave Whitney a small push to get her moving into the pub. Molly looked at Lauren with a sly grin and grabbed her arm to hold her back as she watched Whitney and Bolton go into the pub.

"We have to make him tell her today," she told her.

"Oh, don't worry, I fully intend to. I think maybe a bit of Truth or Dare might be in order? Then we could really have some fun," Lauren whispered and flashed Molly a wicked grin.

Molly grinned at Lauren. "How utterly evil are you!" she said appreciatively to her friend.

"Why, thank you," Lauren smirked.

Whitney glanced back at Lauren and Molly, wondering why they were hanging back, but caught sight of Bolton next to her.

"You know this is all down to you, don't you? What you did really made my part of the show happen," she said as they got to the bar. "This should be yours," she said as she handed him the bottle of expensive champagne. She put a hand on his shoulder and stretched. "And this," she said and kissed his cheek.

"You really are the best and don't let nobody tell you any different," she declared and turned to Annie. "Yeah, I'll have a vodka tonic, he's buying," she said.

Bolton pulled himself back to reality as she kissed his cheek and nodded at Annie as he placed the champagne on the bar. "Oh please, if you weren't so talented then it wouldn't have happened," he told her with a grin and pushed the bottle back across the bar to her.

"I was merely a tool to your success," he added. "But... if you want to kiss me again, feel free," he grinned at her.

Whitney grinned up at Bolton. "Well, you did help a lot," she said. "And I really appreciate it," she reached up and kissed his cheek again. She picked up her drink and looked at Bolton, then looked around for Molly and Lauren.

"Let's go sit down," she told him as she saw her friends still with their heads together. "I don't know what they're up to."

Bolton didn't hold back his grin as she kissed his cheek again and he reached behind him to pay Annie for the drinks and grabbed up his glass.

Bolton looked over at Molly and Lauren, he frowned, he didn't know what they were up to either but he had an idea that it would involve him and Whitney. He was pretty sure that that was all the two girls talked about.

He nodded at her and gestured for her to lead the way over, narrowing his eyes at Molly and Lauren the moment Whitney turned her back to him. He hated that they were always plotting against him. He wasn't going to tell Whitney how he felt, it was obvious she didn't feel the same way. It was easier to let her think he thought of her the same way as she saw him: as a friend.

Lauren got drinks for herself and Molly and a tray of shots. "Let's go sit down with them and get started."

She walked with Molly over to the table and put down the tray and then placed a shot glass in front of each of them.

"We're going to play Truth or Dare," Lauren announced. "Molly, you go first."

Molly whipped her head around to look at Lauren and frowned. "Why do I have to go first?" she said and looked at Whitney.

"I think, as we are here to celebrate Whit's fantastic achievement that she should go first," she said with a look at Lauren.

Whitney picked up her drink and drained it as Molly and Lauren sat down with a tray of drinks. She gratefully took the vodka tonic that was on the tray and smiled her thanks at the girls.

"Truth or Dare...what?" Whitney asked and narrowed her eyes at them, then frowned at Molly's comment.

Lauren quickly raised and lowered her brows at Molly then turned to Whitney.

"Guess you're going first," Lauren said. She would have preferred Whitney be a _bit_ more drunk for this.  
>Whitney looked at them, then glanced at Bolton, picked up the shot and knocked it back. She put the glass back on the tray and looked at Molly and Lauren. "Truth."<p>

Molly grinned slyly at Whitney and looked at Lauren briefly before sitting back in her seat and grinning.

"Out of everyone in this pub, right now, who would you shag?" she asked.

Bolton narrowed his eyes at Lauren and Molly; he was not looking forward to his go.

Whitney shook her head and let out an exasperated chuckle.

"Who else?" she asked, almost rhetorically. "Mr. Rimmer, of course, just like practically every other girl who went to school there."

She folded her arms and looked smugly at Molly and Lauren before grabbing the edge of the tray to turn it.

Lauren looked at Whitney, then Molly, then Bolton. "She has a good point, a very good point," Lauren agreed and took a sip of her wine. She looked at Molly as the next shot stopped in front of her.

Whitney also looked at Molly.

"Guess it's your turn, eh, Molls?" Whitney smirked.

Molly nodded and sat back as she knocked back the shot and looked at the three of them. "Dare!" she said with a grin.

"Hmmmmm," Whitney began and looked at Lauren.

"I dare you to flash the pub," Lauren said quickly and Whitney burst into laughter.

"Good one, go on then, Molls, get up and go for it," Whitney urged, gesturing Molly get up, turn around and lift her top.

Molly frowned at the pair of them and sniffed as she stood up. She turned her back to her friends as she grabbed the hem of her top and wrenched it up and pulled her top right off. She turned to her friends and sat down again before pulling her top back over her head.

"There," she said as she grabbed her glass and took a sip.

Bolton snorted and sipped his drink as he watched the three girls. Yeah, he was dreading his turn. He had an idea what his truth would be, and he wasn't looking forward to asking for a dare.

Lauren and Whitney both shouted and catcalled at Molly and chuckled at the other random comments Molly's display had drawn.

"Nice one, Molly," Lauren patted her friend on the back. "You better spin now."

She watched as Molly did so and the glass stopped in front of Bolton. She grinned and looked at Molly, then over at Whitney.

"I guess it's your turn now," Whitney said to him, not noticing the nearly identical looks of mischief on Lauren and Molly's faces.

Bolton looked anxiously from Molly to Lauren. If he said truth they'd no doubt make him admit that he liked Whitney more than he'd let her know. He took up a shot and drained it, slamming the glass back on the table he narrowed his eyes at them.

"Dare," he said confidently. This way they couldn't make him admit anything.

Molly grinned broadly at him and looked at Lauren with a sly smile.

Lauren smirked back at Molly and pursed her lips, then gave a small nod as she turned to face Bolton.

"Okay," Lauren began, drawing the word out. "I dare you to snog Whitney, and I mean, a full on, proper snog," she added, then winked at Molly.

Whitney gaped at Lauren, and then at Molly, snapped her mouth shut and looked at Bolton. She was at a complete loss for words, but at the same time, she wanted to hug Lauren.

Bolton kept his face calm and passive. But inside he couldn't be happier, a valid reason to kiss Whitney. He turned to her and shrugged before sliding his hand into her hair and pulling her face closer. He glanced at her eyes once before pressing his lips firmly against hers.

Molly looked at Lauren gleefully and took a triumphant sip from her drink

Whitney half-melted against Bolton at the feel of his lips on hers. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hoping it wouldn't end too soon.

Lauren gave a small, tight smile and gave Molly a fistbump as she mouthed, "Result," at her friend. She looked at the pair of Whitney and Bolton , who showed no signs of stopping and then turned to Molly again.

"I guess it's my turn, then," she decided and picked up a shot and drank it then grinned at Molly.

"Dare, of course," she said.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Charlie caught sight of Whitney and Bolton kissing and sighed. Molly getting up and flashing the entire pub had been bad enough, now this.

He saw Annie apologizing to another customer and put down the glass he was drying so he could walk over to the table.

He heard Lauren say "dare, of course" as he reached the table.

"Look, you guys have to settle down, we're getting a lot of complaints about well…you with your top," he gestured at Molly, "and now them," he waved his hand at Bolton and Whitney.

Molly nodded slowly at Charlie and grinned broadly when an idea came to her. She turned her head slowly and looked at Lauren.

"Kiss Charlie," she said simply.

"Wait…what?" Charlie demanded to know, not sure he'd heard what Molly had said.

Lauren's eyes widened with delight at Molly's words. "I love you," she barely whispered and before Charlie could back away, Lauren stood up, grabbed his cheeks and fastened her lips on his. Charlie rocked back slightly, but Lauren had tight hold of him and her lips actually felt quite nice on his. What was he thinking? He raised his hands and put them on Lauren's upper arms to push her away, but found himself unable to do so.

Behind the bar, Annie watched Lauren grab Charlie and frowned. She looked around. The whole pub was watching that girl kiss him…and he wasn't pulling away! She marched over and grabbed hold of Lauren and yanked her away.

"Get your hands off him!" Annie snapped. Charlie and Lauren both gaped at her.

"It was just a dare," Lauren murmured.

"I don't care, you've got no business kissing him," Annie shot back.

"Annie…." Charlie began and Annie flashed a look at him. He backed up and quickly shut his mouth, nearly tripping over Kim.

"Hey, now," Kim said, as she sidestepped Charlie. She put a hand on Annie's shoulder and shoved her away from Lauren.

"They're just playing a game, it didn't mean anything, not like what you got up to," Kim said loudly.

Annie was very aware that conversations were stopping and everyone was looking in their direction. She didn't know Kim very well, but she'd seen enough to know she was a loudmouth.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded to know.

Kim swayed slightly as she moved closer to Annie. She waved her arm in an expansive gesture. "You know, the other night, when you spent the night with him over there!" Kim slurred, the volume of her voice raising slightly and her hand dropped to point at Jack.

Jack, his attention already distracted by the two women, froze and swallowed hard when Kim pointed at him, his grip on the pint glass he held becoming overly tight. He quickly put the glass down on the bar and stood still. He could feel his face going pale.

Annie's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't thought anybody had seen her! "I don't know….." she began and Kim cut her off.

"Oh, don't play Miss Innocent with me, Blondie. I saw when Denise checked the pair of you in and I saw you sneaking out the next morning!" Kim bellowed. She caught sight of Charlie behind her and jabbed her thumb at him. "He don't look surprised," she observed.

"No," Charlie said quietly. "I know what she did."

"Huh!" Kim huffed loudly and looked at Annie again. "I guess that's why he was staying at the B&B then."

Annie flushed and looked down.

Rowan looked up from the magazine at the commotion being caused by Kim and couldn't hold back a gasp at what Kim said. She looked over at Jack; it was all over his face that Kim wasn't making it up. She immediately turned to Alyssa. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Alyssa sat there and stared at Jack. He wasn't denying it! Why wasn't he denying it? She looked between them and saw the truth written all over their faces. Angry tears began to fall and she brushed them away furiously. She rose from her seat and looked between Jack and Annie.

"She's the reason you didn't come home that night," she said, her self control hanging by a thread, her voice full of anger and hurt. "That night when I needed you," she continued as she stepped around the table and faced Jack, her fists clenched.

"So, while _I _was at home, worried sick, scared you were in hospital or worse," she said, her voice getting tighter and tighter as she fought to keep herself as calm as she could. "_You _were busy shagging that tart!" she shrieked at him as her control snapped. "And then to top it off you had the sheer audacity to come home and treat me like dirt the next morning!" she added as she shot daggers at him. "How fucking dare you!"

Alyssa turned around and looked at Annie, sizing her up as she moved towards her, her expression deadly. "And _you_!" she snarled. "You're going to have to have plastic surgery to fix that pretty face once I'm done with you," she growled out as she moved towards Annie furiously.

"He said his wife left him," Annie tried to explain and began to back away.

Jack strode up behind Alyssa and grabbed her arm as Annie was backing away from Alyssa. She was glad when Jack interceded; Charlie clearly wasn't coming to her defense.

"You left, Alyssa, you told me you didn't want me and you walked out the door. What the hell was I supposed to think? I went and I got drunk and she helped me to the B&B. She did say no at first, it's not her fault. I was drunk and I was hurt and I thought you were gone and not coming back. You could have stayed so we could have talked the situation out. But you just went off and left me thinking you were going to have a termination, you could have shown me paperwork from the doctor showing me it was a…" he waved his hand while he tried to think of the word, "ectopic thing, but no, you walked out, you left," he bellowed at the end and glared at her.

Alyssa whipped around and glared at Jack. "Don't fucking touch me!" she snarled at him as she pushed him away "I said I didn't want you _there _Jack! But you wouldn't listen! You never listen!" she yelled back at him.

Rowan grabbed hers and Alyssa's bags and shot a look at Ray.

"Lyss, come on," Rowan said softly as she grabbed hold of Alyssa's arms. "Let's go, come on, you don't want to go to jail, not worth it."

Annie took advantage of Rowan distracting Alyssa to move away, she wanted to be out of that madwoman's reach. She glanced at Charlie, who still looked at her dispassionately and did nothing to help.

Jack stumbled backwards and narrowed his eyes at Alyssa. She still didn't get it!

Ray looked over at Rowan, caught her look and nodded. He came up and stood between Jack and Alyssa, pushing Jacks chest with one hand to make him take a step back away from his wife.

"Lyss, stop making a scene, now is not the time or the place" he told her softly.

Alyssa glared up at Ray. "I think _now _is the perfect time," she growled at him and made to step around him. Ray sighed and caught her arms and lifted her up off the floor, he really hadn't wanted to do this. He looked at Rowan and jerked his head at the door before holding Alyssa over his shoulder and carrying her out of the pub. Alyssa kicked and screamed in his grasp.

Jack opened his mouth to retort when Ray swept his wife up over his shoulder and carried her from the pub. He looked sadly at Rowan as she glanced back at him furiously. Alyssa would never hurt Jack, no matter what she still loved him.

Rowan walked over to Jack and put a hand on his arm, as if to say something, and then slammed her knee hard into his groin. "You…." she spat as she watched Jack drop to his knees before her then turned and stalked from the pub.

Annie watched gratefully as Ray carried Alyssa from the bar. That had been close. She bit her lip as she watched the short woman, Rowan that was it, knee Jack in the groin and leave. No one moved to help him and he clearly couldn't stand up. She hurried behind the bar, threw some ice in a plastic bag and went back around and held it out to Jack. When he finally took it, she helped him stand.

"Sorry," he mumbled and staggered across the pub towards the door, choosing the one Ray had not left by.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Bolton snaked an arm around Whitney's waist and pulled her closer to him, she was kissing him back! He could hardly believe it. He had to remind himself that it was just a dare, and that this was only happening because it was a dare, but god, he didn't want it to stop.

Whitney felt his arm move around her and leaned closer. She knew he was only doing it on a dare, but she'd been wanting him to kiss her for so long! She would take full advantage of it. She tightened her arms around his neck and daringly intensified the kiss, totally oblivious to everything around her except Bolton.

Whitney was vaguely aware of yelling going on and cracked open an eye to see Alyssa advancing on Annie. She broke off the kiss and watched, wide-eyed. If Annie had slept with Jack, then she wouldn't long survive it. She'd seen what Alyssa had done to Davina, and she had only kissed Jack.

She glanced at Bolton and then back at the spectacle in front of her, her arms still wound tightly around Bolton's neck.

Bolton turned his head curiously and saw Mr. Rimmer's wife looking furious. He smiled as he realised that Whitney hadn't broken her hold around his neck even though she was absorbed in what was going on around them. He took the opportunity to tighten his hold around her waist, holding her closer to him as he watched another man carry the screaming redhead out of the pub. He sighed and looked at Whitney. Now the kiss had been broken he didn't know whether she would want to kiss him again or if she had only done it for the dare. He looked at her face curiously.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Lucy sighed and snapped her phone shut. No answer. She looked at her watch. It was time to go home anyway. She stalked to the locker room and quickly changed out of her uniform, glad to see her spare clothes had been unmolested. She stormed out of the station and glanced first in the direction of her flat, then in the direction of the pub. She needed a drink; she decided and turned towards the pub. She pulled her phone out and tried calling Alex again. She really needed some advice.

She went into the Square and sat down on one of the benches as she waited for Alex to pick up. "Come on, please answer," she breathed.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alex looked over at the kitchen table as she heard her phone go off again. She left Sammy on the floor with his colouring books and moved over. She frowned at the number and answered the phone.

"Alex Hunt," she answered as she picked up the other box of crayons and moved back to the floor where Sam still sat.

"Yes, hello, DI Hunt, it's Lucy. Ummm, you said if I was having any more trouble that I could come to you," she began hesitantly. "Well….just a few minutes ago, two of the CID officers were accusing me of some sort of blackmail, leaving letters about something in their desks," she continued. "I don't know why, ma'am, I haven't done anything. I don't open their drawers or anything, I just put the files on the desks like I'm told and occasionally chat a minute. But they seem to think I'm leaving other stuff, too, and I'm not, ma'am, I swear."

She gave a heavy sigh. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know if this is just some big prank being played on me or if someone's trying to get me into trouble."

Alex frowned. CID were bullying Lucy now? This wasn't right.

"Okay Lucy, if you tell me which members of CID are victimising you then I'll have a word and find out what's going on," she said. "This has got to stop," she added, anger seeping into her tone.

"It may not entirely be their fault," she said, trying to sound reluctant, she hadn't done anything wrong and she be damned if she'd take any more of this, best to play it as best she could. An outright accusation wouldn't help get Alex on her side.

"But it was DS Granger and DC White. Apparently some sort of letters are being left for them. DS Granger showed me one, it said something like 'I'm going to tell what you did' or something like that, I wasn't really looking close. And I swear, ma'am, I don't know what they're talking about. I haven't been leaving any notes of any kind in anybody's desk," she explained.

Alex frowned. Shaz and Ginger victimising a trainee PC? That was very unlike them. Her frown deepened as she listened to Lucy.

"Okay. I'll find out exactly what's been going on Lucy, don't you worry," she answered. "You will let me know if anything else happens?" she asked. Now that Lucy had finally opened up and told her what was going on she wanted to keep on top of it and monitor what was happening. She wouldn't stand for this!

"Yes, ma'am, I will," Lucy said gratefully. "Thank you, ma'am."

Lucy snapped her phone shut and breathed a long sigh. That was one thing sorted. Whoever was doing this to her was going to pay. Though, she had to wonder how whoever it was had known Shaz and Ginger had done anything wrong. Or were they just picked at random for no reason and just bad luck they had a secret to hide? Lucy didn't care. She turned around as she heard shrieking coming from the pub and saw DI Carling carrying a screaming redhead from the pub. Her eyebrows flew up. Clearly she'd missed something interesting. She rubbed at her face. Maybe she should just go home, she wondered. It would be dark soon enough and she didn't relish walking home in it.

She got up and shoved her hands in her pockets as she headed for home.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alex put her phone down and looked at Sammy

"What?" he asked her defensively and she shook her head at him.

"Nothing Sammy, just things at work" she sighed and watched him turn back to his colouring. She raised her eyebrows "When you've finished that how about we start on your writing again?" she asked him as she pulled the small booklet from under the coffee table and offered it to him. The Nursery had given all the children nearly ready to go to School little booklets with letters drawn out faintly and simple words for them to start learning how to read and write their alphabet.

Sammy looked at her contemplatively and then nodded "Kay" he agreed as he went back to colouring in his picture.

Alex watched Sammy draw and sat back against the sofa. Shaz and Ginger bullying a junior officer? That couldn't be right. It had to be a misunderstanding.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ginger picked up the files Lucy had left behind and put them in the trays where they belonged.

"Only an hour left, at least," he said with an air of relief.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Once they were a safe distance away from the pub, Ray put Alyssa down and she slammed a fist into his shoulder before turning around and staring angrily at the pub.

"I wasn't going to let you hurt him Alyssa, you'd only regret it" he said quietly as he rubbed his shoulder where she'd hit him. Alyssa nodded once and held her arms around her middle as she stared at the Vic.

"How could he?" she whispered quietly as her tears finally began to fall steadily.

Rowan went over to Alyssa and folded the woman in her arms. "Ray, go get the car, Lyss, you can come home with us, okay?" she said softly as she stroked Alyssa's hair. "I hit him where it hurts," she whispered in Alyssa's ear.

Alyssa clung to Rowan and nodded silently as she sobbed.

Ray watched for a moment before hurrying off to get the car. He drove up alongside the pavement where Rowan and Alyssa were standing and came to a stop to give them a chance to climb inside. They could put Alyssa in the spare room, and find some reason to explain to the twins in the morning when they woke up and found their aunt staying with them.

"Get in," he called to them.

Rowan helped Alyssa into the back of the car and held her as Ray drove them home. She had to concede that Jack had a slightly good point, but still, what had he been thinking? Rowan was furious with him.

She gestured Ray to get the door for them and then helped Alyssa from the car and up to the flat. She sat her on the couch and then went into the kitchen and searched the cupboards until she found Ray's stash of brandy and quickly poured some into a tumbler. She carried it to Alyssa, knelt before her and pressed the glass into her hands.

She quickly unslung her bag from her shoulder and held it out to Ray.

"Get the money for Abi," she told him. "She should be upstairs with the twins, we owe her," she did a quick calculation in her head, "fifty."

Alyssa sat down numbly and took the glass from Rowan and held it silently in her hands. Her tears had stopped at some point during the car ride, now she just felt hollow.

Ray nodded at Rowan, taking the bag from her and digging for her purse. He grabbed out the money for Abi and glanced at Alyssa once before hurrying towards the steps and climbing up cautiously. He poked his head into the bedroom and then heaved himself up.

"Hey Abi," he whispered to her quietly, he wasn't sure whether the twins were asleep yet, but at least they were in bed. He handed out the money to her. "Here," he said and looked at her. "Do you need a lift home?" he asked her as he got up to stand on his feet and went over to check on the twins.

Abi looked up from the easy chair she was sitting in and put down her phone. She quickly stood up and took the money he handed her and quietly picked up her bag and put the money in it.

"They fell asleep about half an hour ago," she told Ray quietly and then nodded.

"A ride would be nice," she said, "thank you, Mr. Carling," she replied gratefully.

Ray nodded at her and made sure that both Denis and Claire were tucked in before turning to around and gesturing for her to make her way down the steps. He followed her down and moved over to Rowan as Abi made her way to the door. He handed Rowan back her bag and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm just going to drop Abi home," he told her and glanced at Alyssa who was just staring at the brandy in her glass.

Rowan glanced up at Ray and nodded, shoving her bag next to the couch so it was out of the way before moving to sit next to Alyssa on the couch.

He smiled at Abi as he led her outside and opened the car door for her. He made sure she was strapped in safely before driving her back to Walford and pulling up outside her home. Ray watched her climb the steps to her house and made sure she was safely inside before driving home.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

"Oh my god," Lauren sputtered and looked at Molly then over at Bolton and Whitney. She turned quickly back to Molly and shifted her finger in their direction before grinning at Molly.

Whitney looked at Bolton and gave him a small smile before blushing bright red. She slowly unwound her arms from his neck, letting her hands slide slowly down his chest before dropping them to her lap. She slowly slid one hand from her leg and put a hand on his before raising her gaze to his. She hoped that kiss hadn't just been for the dare, she'd thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more.

Bolton couldn't help that his face fell slightly as Whitney took her arms from around him, but recovered himself almost immediately. He reluctantly loosened his grip around her waist and gradually pulled his arms away from her. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand slightly before looking up at Molly as she cleared her throat

"Right," she said and she pushed a shot towards Whitney. "Your go". Molly watched Whitney and Bolton and felt like hitting her head against the table, even after that kiss they were both still unsure. If Whitney didn't ask for a truth then Molly had another dare all set up.

Whitney pulled her gaze from Bolton and looked at Molly. She looked down at the shot and toyed with it for a moment before pushing it back across the table towards Molly.

"Actually, I'm ready to go home," she said and then looked at Bolton expectantly. She couldn't bring herself to ask him to walk her home, but surely he would offer.

Lauren's eyebrows went up at Whitney's statement and looked at Molly before picking up the shot Whitney had pushed away and drank it down.

"I don't think I'm ready to go yet, are you Molly?" she asked.

Molly frowned at Whitney and folded her arms grumpily. "You can't go yet, Whit! We're supposed to be celebrating!" she protested.

Molly looked at Lauren and a small smile crossed her face as she nodded. "I'm staying," she agreed.

"You'll make sure she gets home okay, yeah?" Lauren asked Bolton.

Bolton nodded at Lauren and then looked at Whitney. "Shall we go?" he asked her as he stood up so that she could get out.

Whitney shrugged and quickly slid out when Bolton got up. She walked over to Molly and leaned over to hug her.

"I think I'm going to finish my celebrating at home, if you get me," she whispered to Molly and chuckled as she straightened up.

Molly laughed and hugged Whitney back, sneaking a glance over her shoulder at Bolton. It seemed as though Whitney skipping her go wasn't that bad after all.

"Night, girls," she said flippantly over her shoulder as she took Bolton's arm.

Lauren looked back at Molly after Whitney and Bolton left. "We did it," she said triumphantly and raised her glass.

Molly nodded and eyed the shots that were left.

"How about we just drain these?" she suggested. "There isn't really any point in playing Truth or Dare now that we've finally got Whitney and Bolton together," she smiled.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Lauren and she picked up another shot. "To us, we are awesome," she said and drained it.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Bolton waved at the two girls as he led Whitney out of the pub and began to walk her home. He sighed softly as they walked, he wondered whether she'd let him kiss her again and if he shouldn't just risk it anyway. The worst that would happen would be her throwing him off her and she hadn't seemed to mind too much when the kiss was a dare.

Bolton stopped suddenly and turned to face Whitney.

"I think I should tell you why Molly and Lauren wanted to play Truth or Dare," he told her softly. "They wanted me to admit to you that I like you, really like you, Whit," he said. "Your gorgeous, talented, funny, independent, clever," he listed as he looked at her.

Whitney looked up at him in surprise.

"I never thought they had a reason beyond it would be fun, those sneaky cows," she said in an incredulous tone. She felt her insides turn to mush as he listed off things about her.

"Really? I thought you just liked me as a mate, all that time you never got in touch, I thought you just weren't interested," she told him. She slid an arm around his waist.

"Why don't you finish walking me home and then...well...you could make sure the flat is okay...and maybe we could have a glass of this," she suggested and tapped the bottle of champagne.

Bolton slid an arm around her and sighed. "I figured that you'd just forget about me, you know, with the whole long distance thing," he said. "And it had only been one night, not really anything too serious," he shrugged.

Bolton eyed the bottle and smiled at her. "Fine by me," he grinned at her and kept his arm firmly around her shoulders as he walked back to her flat.

"I really wanted to stay in touch," Whitney said and sighed.

She leaned against him happily as he walked her to the flat.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Denise went over and grabbed Kim and quickly dragged her from the pub before she could cause any more trouble.

/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa sat and cradled the glass of brandy without drinking it. She stared at the amber liquid blankly. Jack had slept with someone else. He'd been drunk but that was no excuse. He'd believed that she'd left him so he jumped straight into bed with the nearest blond. She felt sick.

Alyssa looked up to see Rowan was still sitting with her and she took a small sip of the brandy, it didn't help.

Alyssa didn't know what to say, she wanted to scream at Jack, to tear Annie to pieces, she wanted Jack to hold her and tell her that it was a lie: that he hadn't slept with Annie at all and that Kim was making it up.

She finally opened her mouth to speak. "You know what really gets me?" she said quietly. "That he didn't even have the guts to own up to it. That he wasn't going to tell me, he was just going to pretend it never happened," she said bitterly.

Rowan let out a small breath. "I'm sure like most people, he thought he wouldn't get caught," Rowan told her. "He did have a small point though, when you left the way you did. It doesn't excuse his behavior, but in his mind, he was being reasonable."

Rowan huffed out a small breath. "Which is why I felt it was perfectly reasonable to knee him in the groin," she added with a shrug.

Alyssa smiled briefly.

"He wasn't listening to me, he'd got it into his head that I was having an abortion and I couldn't take it," she sighed. "I just remember seeing red and having to get out of there to calm down," she explained.

Alyssa looked up at Rowan and placed the glass of brandy on the floor. "What am I supposed to do Ro?" she sighed heavily as she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

"Well, Lyss, to be fair you wouldn't let him go with you, he was scared, he doesn't know about that kind of thing. All he knew was you were pregnant and then you weren't going to be," Rowan told her and stroked Alyssa's hair back.

"But I was trying to explain to him! If he'd just listen!" she said in exasperation as her fists clenched involuntarily.

"You can stay here as long as you need to, we'll tell the twins Jack's gone out of town or something, with any luck they won't catch on."

She gave Ray a small nod when he got home, but turned her attention quickly back to Alyssa. She slid an arm around Alyssa's shoulders and held her.

Alyssa nodded at her and moved to hug Rowan. "Thanks," she murmured into Rowan's shoulder.

Alyssa eventually pulled away from Rowan and wiped her eyes again. "I think I'm going to go to bed, Ro," she sighed as she stood off the couch and finally drained the brandy from the glass.

Ray stood and watched Alyssa disappear into the spare room and then looked at Rowan with a sigh. He went and got the glass and put it in the sink. He looked at Rowan again and picked her up. "Come on," he sighed. "Bedtime," he told her with a kiss to her forehead. He placed on her the bed and undressed before crawling in. He frowned slightly.

"Am I still in trouble for telling everyone in the pub?" he asked her, what he'd done wasn't nearly as bad as what Jack had done.

Rowan quickly changed in her nightshirt and got into bed and huddled against him.

"No, you just embarrassed me doing it like that is all," she told him and kissed him. "I was mostly teasing...mostly," she added and smirked at him before snuggling down and falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 8**

Rowan woke early and unwound herself from Ray. She didn't think she'd cope if she lost him, and had slept tightly wrapped around him. She quietly crept from the room and took a quick shower before going into the kitchen. She pulled out eggs and bacon and began to quickly cook breakfast. She would need to get downstairs soon enough and get things going before James arrived.

She fixed up a cup of tea and took it in to Ray. He was going in early today so that he could leave early. She had wanted to take the twins shopping so he had altered his schedule. Now that Alyssa was here, going shopping might take her mind off Jack, and Ray could relax in the quiet flat.

"Ray, come on, time to get up," she said and nudged his shoulder. "Here's your tea," she said and put it on the table, "and your breakfast is ready."

She went back into the kitchen and got the food plated up and then went into the bathroom to dry her hair.

Ray sleepily looked at Rowan and took the mug as she left. He sat up better and took a sip from the mug as he tried to wake himself up. At least he was leaving early today, he'd get to spend some time with his family this afternoon. But it meant him taking the earliest shift that he could.

Ray put the mug on the side and made sure he had his dressing gown on before grabbing his mug up again and heading out to the kitchen. He smiled at his breakfast and sat down at the table. Rowan wanted to go shopping today, he didn't like shopping so much but he supposed it had to be done. He shrugged to himself and began to eat.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Jack awoke on the couch, the bag of ice he'd been holding to ease the pain had melted. He sat up and grimaced. Still a bit sore, but he thought he could make it. He had forgotten how vicious Rowan could be. Of course, he'd never expected to be on the receiving end of her temper. He wondered if Ray hadn't made Rowan follow him so she could do what she'd done.

He stood up and hobbled to the kitchen. Maybe Ray had just forgotten what Rowan could be like.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Whitney smiled as she opened her eyes and saw Bolton sleeping next to her. Last night had been something else, she thought to herself. She gazed at Bolton, a smile still hovering around the corners of her mouth and trailed a finger along his cheek.  
>Bolton frowned in his sleep and reached up a hand to bat away whatever was on his cheek. His frown deepened as he encountered something solid. He cracked open an eye and his frown disappeared as he saw Whitney. He smiled at her.<p>

"Hey," he said as he sat up and stretched.

"Hey," Whitney said back. "So, I'm thinking of having a lazy day today, maybe not even getting out of bed," she told him as she slid close and leaned against him. "Care to join me?"

Bolton wrapped an arm around her and grinned "What would a lazy day entail?" he asked her with a yawn.

"Well," she said, drawing out the word and slowly slid her hand down his chest. "It means not leaving this bed for one thing," she added and slid her hand lower.

Bolton gave her a slow grin as his arm wormed around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. "Mmmm," he hummed. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed before rolling her onto her back.

Peter shuffled out of the bedroom and did a double-take when he saw Lauren sprawled across the bed in the spare room. He shook his head and continued on his way into the kitchen. He flipped on the kettle and pulled down three mugs. It was probably best Lauren didn't try to get all the way home; he'd heard them when they'd come in late last night. They'd been completely off their heads.

He dug out the bread and threw some in the toaster and leaned on the counter as he waited for things to get done.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa woke to the sound of a hairdryer and hugged her pillow closer. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to move. A flash of gold caught her attention and her gaze fell on her wedding ring as the sunlight caught it. She frowned at the sight of it and tugged it off. She placed the ring on the bedside table and stared at it. She could remember the last time she'd stayed in this room, her wedding day! She snorted, she knew that Jack had slept with other people while he was with Davina, but she hadn't thought that he'd do that to her! Especially after everything they had gone through with Davina and Declan.

She growled and brushed at her tears before they could fall, she wasn't going to cry over him! Alyssa sat up. She wasn't going to sit around all day and wallow. She caught sight of her clothes on the floor; she was going to have to go and get some clothes from home. She'd do that today and get it out of the way. She pulled the clothes back on and used the hair bobble on her wrist to tie her hair back before leaving the bedroom. She caught sight of Ray sitting by himself and at the sight of the food he was eating her stomach turned over.

"Morning," she murmured to him as she got herself a glass of water and sat down opposite him.

Ray looked at her studiously and nodded. He swallowed his mouthful. "Morning," he said. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her. He wasn't any good in situations like this. He looked back at her and saw her staring off into space. He sighed, seemed that she didn't want to talk anyway. He was relieved.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex sat at the kitchen table cradling her mug. She was in work today, she'd have to see about Shaz and Ginger and what Lucy had said. She wasn't looking forward to that at all. As far as Chris had known it was just the PC's that were victimising Lucy, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that it was CID too. She also felt angry! She took a sip of her coffee and looked up as the kettle boiled again. She hadn't told Gene yet what Lucy had told her.

She fixed his tea and took it through to the bedroom, a fond smile crept across her face at the sight of her sleeping husband and she sat on the edge of the bed and put the mug on the side.

"Gene," she murmured as she shook his shoulder gently.

Gene yawned and opened his eyes as he looked up at Alex.

"M awake," he mumbled and grabbed at the cup of tea. He eyed her a moment and then sighed as he remembered she was working today. There wasn't enough time. He covered his disappointment with a drink of tea and then sighed.

"So, you're in today," he said, even though he knew the answer.

Alex nodded at him. "Yeah, and Ray's leaving early, too," she sighed and leant down to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Sammy's in the front watching cartoons," she told him. "He seems happier today," she added with a small smile as she drew her legs up onto the bed and leant back against him. She didn't have long until she had to leave for work she noted as she looked at the clock.

"That is the point of going in early," Gene told her and snorted. He took another sip of his tea and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it? You said Sammy is fine, so what's bothering you?" he wanted to know.

Alex shook her head. "Just something I've got to sort out," she told him, she didn't want to get Gene involved until she had heard what Ginger and Shaz had to say about Lucy's accusations. She really hoped they had a very good excuse.

"It's to do with Lucy," she added with a small sigh.

Alex smiled softly at him and nodded. She wasn't going to explain what was really going on, not yet. She kissed him softly and sighed as she climbed off the bed.

"I'll see you later," she told him as she slid her shoes on and left the bedroom.

"Sammy, be good for you Dad," she told her son who leapt off the sofa to give her a hug. Alex scooped him into her arms and kissed his nose, making him push her face away. She grinned at him. "I think you should go and get your lazy Daddy out of bed," she told him quietly and Sammy grinned back as she put him down.

She chuckled as Sammy dashed to the bedroom and then left the flat.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan finished drying her hair, quickly braided it back and went into the kitchen. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and then one for Alyssa and sat down.

"So, I have to take the twins shopping this afternoon for a few things, do you want to come along?" she asked Alyssa. She shot a quick glance at Ray, sure he wouldn't mind not going, even if it was for the twins.

Alyssa moulded her hands around the mug and looked up at Rowan. "Sure," she shrugged.

Ray nodded slightly at Rowan, he understood. He got a free afternoon to do whatever he pleased. That didn't bother him.

Alyssa looked up at Rowan. "I need to go and get some clothes from home," she said quietly as she took a large gulp from the mug. Ray frowned.

"Why do it today if you don't want to see him, do it tomorrow when he's at work," he suggested and Alyssa shook her head. "I'll do it today," she said back and Ray shrugged again before finishing up his breakfast and putting the plate in the sink. He placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder as he passed her and headed to the bathroom.

"I'll go with you, we can go before we head out shopping," Rowan told her as she put her coffee cup in the sink. She turned around to look at Alyssa again. "You know, we are going shopping, so if you change your mind you can always by a couple things while we're out."

She walked to the bathroom and followed Ray in and gave him a quick kiss.

"I have to get downstairs now. She should be fine with the twins if they wake up, okay?" she assured him. "I think they'll help actually."

She patted Ray on the cheek and then hurried down to the restaurant. She sighed as she saw James already waiting. At least he wasn't late. She quickly let him in and then headed into the kitchen to get the breakfast prep started.

"Okay," she said as she saw James tying on his apron and began to list off what she needed done. He nodded and then headed into the walk in to get things. She looked upset, he noticed. Worried. He wondered if she was having trouble with Ray. He allowed himself a small smile and got to work. He knew Ray was working today, so as soon as he was gone, James could make his move. Rowan would be his.

Alyssa nodded at Rowan silently and stared into her mug as she listened to Rowan's footsteps move away.

Ray nodded and watched as Rowan leave the bathroom before getting into the shower.

Alyssa glanced up as Ray emerged from his bedroom fully dressed and gave him a weak smile. He grabbed up his half finished tea and drained it. "You'll be alright with the twins when they wake up?" he asked her and Alyssa nodded. "Sure," she said.

Ray nodded and patted her shoulder comfortingly as he dumped his mug in the sink. "It'll be all right Lyss," he said and she nodded half-heartedly.

Ray grabbed his coat up and rushed out the flat, he was going to be late if he didn't hurry. He marched out of the Restaurant with a brief goodbye to Rowan as he went.

Lauren staggered out of the spare room and into the kitchen.

"Oi, Peter, keep it down, would you?"

"I'm not being that loud, Lauren, you're just oversensitive. You shouldn't have drank so much last night."

"Well, we were celebrating. First, that Whit's show went so well and then that Molly and I got Whit and Bolton together."

"Yes, I know, the pair of you were signing songs to your praises when you got in last night."

Lauren had the grace to blush. "Sorry."

"It's fine, tea?"

"Yeah, go on," she said and dropped into a chair.

He put a mug in front of her. "And I'm off to work now, Molly doesn't have to be at the club until 2, but if you're still here, try to make sure she's awake and can get there."

Lauren waved at him and nodded, wincing at the pain nodding brought on.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. She'd finally asked for help, but only because of Ginger and Shaz. She was just glad she wasn't in today, she really didn't want to be there when Alex confronted them. She just hoped Alex believed her.

Lucy finally dragged herself from bed and pulled on her track suit to go for her jog. It wouldn't do to slack off and lose some criminal because she wasn't keeping herself in shape. One thing all these people harassing her hadn't realized, the more they tried to stop her doing something, the more she became determined to do it. Her father could have told them that. She allowed herself a small smile and set off down the street.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

James smirked as he watched Ray leave the restaurant. He glanced at the clock, plenty of time before she decided to open. He walked over to her.

"So, getting all the wedding plans done?" he asked nonchalantly.

Rowan looked up from the biscuit dough she was kneading and blew a stray hair back from her forehead.

"Yeah, Lyss already has a list; I had a wedding planner and didn't even know it. I just hope it's not too extravagant," she replied.

"Yeah, you like simple," he agreed and brushed away the stray hair that had fallen on her face again. He put a hand on the small of her back and moved slightly closer.

"You'll have orchids for your bouquet?" he continued and she furrowed her brow and looked at him.

"Yes, how did you…." she asked and suddenly his arms were around her. Rowan swallowed nervously. "Um, James, let me go."

"I love you, Rowan, you should be marrying me, not that idiotic Neanderthal," he told her and fixed his lips to hers. Rowan jerked her head away.

"James, stop," she pleaded and began to struggle.

"I know you feel the same, just admit it, Rowan," he told her as he pressed her against the wall. She tried to kick out, but he shifted so he was standing between her legs and pressed her tightly to the wall, her arms were trapped by his arms wrapped around her. She tried pinching him, but it went unnoticed. She felt fear welling up inside her as she felt his arousal through his trousers.

"No!" she began to scream and he quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle it.

"You don't want to go frightening the twins do you?" he asked her, his tone menacing. Rowan swallowed hard and he carefully removed his hand from her mouth. While her arm was still free she lashed out and managed to rake her nails across his cheek. He quickly caught her hand and pinned them over her head, holding them tightly in place with one of his own. He grinned at her.

"Come on, tell me you love me, and then we can run away together," he urged. "You're so beautiful," he crooned and trailed his free hand over her breast. "I can't stand to think of him touching you. I don't know how you put up with such a disgusting creature," he said.

"I don't love you, James, please let me go," she begged quietly and he put his face up close to hers, his free hand leaving her breast and moving up to grab her chin.

"You do, just admit it," he snarled. "You can prove it to me," he added and grabbed her top and tore it open. Rowan winced as buttons flew, but he'd left her mouth uncovered, and she knew something he didn't…Alyssa was upstairs.

"No!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Stop it!" she added and his hand slammed over her mouth again, stifling her cries.

"I told you to be quiet. I'm just trying to show you I love you, why can't you just appreciate that you stupid bitch," he growled at her.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy made it to the park and slowed to a walk as she opened her bottle of water and took a small drink. She walked slowly to a table and sat down with a small sigh. She glanced in the direction of the station. No doubt her accusers were there now. She wondered again what might be going on. Was it a prank? To get her into trouble and kicked out? Or were they just mistakenly accusing her of this possible blackmail? She couldn't be sure. Why would they think it was her anyway? Just because she delivered the files? That was hardly fair. She would have thought CID officers would be more thorough than that. There must be something else.

She closed her eyes and thought hard over everything she'd done that past week. The cameras, they had to have got hold of the CCTV footage, but what would that prove except that she delivered the files? She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. She never touched their desks, just dropped the files off, but there'd been that one day….yes, DS Granger's drawer had been open and Lucy had pushed it closed as she passed. So, they would have thought she was perhaps putting something in the drawer? Of course, that had to be it, not someone necessarily setting her up, but a mistake that DS Granger seemed determined to run with.

"You don't want to sleep out here," she heard a voice say and opened her eyes to see Chris smiling down at her.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking," she retorted and sat up straight. She glanced down at his daughter in her stroller and then back at him as he sat down next to her.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Just…..stuff," she replied evasively.

"Are they still bothering you at the station?" he wanted to know.

She lowered her head and then nodded. She wouldn't tell him about the rest, not yet.

"I just don't know what I've done to deserve it. I'm trying so hard, showing people I'm not the same, but it's getting me nowhere," she said softly, her tone slightly defeated.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I've told Alex, she'll sort it."

"So that was you, well, thank you, but it might just make things worse, you know. I'll tell you one thing, if they think it's going to make me give up and quit, they don't know me very well."

"That's the spirit," Chris encouraged. "It's bound to stop soon. You know, now that DI Hunt is involved, it's only a short time before the Guv does, too."

Lucy groaned. "I'm sure that will really make it bad for me."

Chris chuckled. "The Guv can be sly, trust us on that," he assured her.

"I promised this one an ice cream, will you watch her a moment so I can leave her here? I'll get you one, too."

"How can I resist an offer like that?" she replied.

Lucy quickly took the dripping cone he brought back and watched as he put a small cup on the stroller tray so Olivia could eat some ice cream.

"So, DI Hunt is definitely going to mentor you?" he asked curiously.

"It sounds pretty certain. I wanted to actually stay in uniform, but if all this crap is going to keep going on, I might have to either get transferred or see if maybe DSI Hunt won't help me get into CID faster," she said in a regretful tone.

"I'm sure she'll do whatever she can to help. She's good that way. She helped us loads, still does in fact," he told her. "I probably would never have been promoted without her help."

Lucy gave him a small smile and finished her ice cream.

"I better get home. I don't know how, but the flat is a mess," she admitted. She stood up and then leaned back down and kissed Chris on the cheek.

"Thank you for being so nice to me," she told him. Chris looked at her, startled by the kiss, but not displeased.

"You're welcome," he told her and watched as she walked away. She was a decent girl; he hoped Alex would be able to help her.

"Do you think Mummy will be free for lunch?" he asked Olivia. "I hope so."

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up sharply at the sound of Rowan's screeching. What was going on? She had never heard Rowan sound like that before. A sense of panic filled her as Alyssa sprang up and hurried silently down the stairs. She poked her head around the door to the Kitchen and her eyes widened at the sight of James holding Rowan against the wall, her arms above her head and her shirt torn open.

An uncontrollable sense of rage filled Alyssa: she had been trying to dissipate her anger at Jack and Annie for most of the night and morning but it wouldn't go. Now her sister was being threatened and it was as though a volcano had erupted inside her. Her expression went dark and she grabbed the nearest heavy object she could see: a frying pan.

She took silent steps forward and raised the heavy pan "Get your filthy hands off my sister!" she snarled at James before crashing the pan into his head as hard as she could.

Rowan eyes widened at the sight of Alyssa behind James and she stayed pressed to the wall as he fell to the ground unconscious.

The frying pan dropped from Alyssa's hand as James collapsed to the floor. She winced at the noise that it made and closed her eyes until the noise stopped.

"Sonofabitch!" she wailed and wrapped her arms around herself. She flung herself at Alyssa and leaned against her before looking down at James.

"I hope he's not dead," she muttered. "Call the police, call Alex, not Ray, I don't want him here, he would kill James for sure," she said and then slid to the floor in a faint.

Alyssa looked at Rowan as she slumped against her and laid her down, taking off her cardigan and using it to cushion Rowan's head. She carefully folded Rowan's shirt back over her body so she wasn't so exposed and whipped out her phone.

She glanced at James on the floor as she called Alex.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex pulled up outside the station and sighed heavily as she got out of the car, she walked past Adam and then doubled back and rested against his counter. "Are Shaz and Ginger in yet?" she asked him and he nodded. "Yeah Ma'am, they got here about 10 minutes ago," he explained and Alex nodded. "Thanks," she muttered.

Alex marched to the office and glanced around, only Shaz and Ginger were in today. She glared at them as she stood against her desk with her hands on her hips

"I got a call from Lucy Beale yesterday," she told them. Shaz looked up with a frown and Alex continued.

"I hope you've got a _very _good excuse for why you're victimising her!" she snapped at them.

Shaz frowned. "We are not victimising her!" she retorted and added a quick. "Ma'am," at the sight of Alex's furious expression.

"Then why is she calling me to tell me that you are?" Alex asked.

"Look, ma'am," Ginger said and held out one of the letters he had received. "She's been putting these in our desk drawers," he told her. "We aren't victimizing her, she's trying to blackmail us, not sure what for so there seems little point in it, but still," he told her. "It's an attempt. We've even got her on the CCTV footage closing one of Shaz' desk drawers."

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex looked at the letter curiously and then glanced back up at Ginger. "So you do have evidence that this is actually Lucy?" she asked.

Shaz nodded. "We have a CCTV tape with Lucy closing my drawer, the same drawer where these letters keep appearing."

Alex frowned. "Closing the drawer?" she questioned. "So you didn't see her put anything in there?" she asked.

"Well...not exactly..no.." Shaz faltered.

"So you are merely speculating that it's Lucy because you see her closing a draw?" Alex clarified, she sighed and held up a hand as her phone went off, she frowned at Alyssa's name on her screen, but answered.

"Lyss? I'm working," she said.

"I know Alex, but um, you should get over to the Restaurant now."

"Why? What's happened?"

"It's Ro, she's...and James, I think.." Alyssa babbled.

"Take a deep breath Alyssa and try again," Alex advised.

"James was trying to rape Ro and I've knocked him out with a frying pan."

"WHAT!" Alex gasped. "I'll get Ray and..."

"No! Not Ray!" Alyssa blurted. "Ro doesn't want Ray," she said.

Alex let out a breath. "Okay," she replied. "Okay, just stay calm and I'm on my way," she said.

Alex snapped her phone shut and looked at Shaz and Ginger. "I'll deal with you two later," she glared at them before dashing out and heading to the Restaurant.

Rowan moaned as her eyes fluttered open. She carefully sat up and watched Alyssa as finished talking on her phone. She picked up the cardigan and wrapped it around her.

"Was that Alex you were calling?" she asked and looked at James. It looked like he was still breathing. She huddled on the floor. She was not going to open the restaurant, not today. "It looks like he's still alive."

"Can you make a sign, Lyss, something that just says 'closed for personal reasons' and put it on the door, there's no way I'm going to open up today."

Alyssa looked down at Rowan and nodded. "Yeah, she's on her way," she said as she glanced at James and resisted the urge to kick him.

She nodded again and went to find some paper and a marker pen. She quickly made a sign and grabbed some sellotape and stuck it to the door. She sighed and went back to Rowan and sat down on the floor with Rowan. "I've done the sign," she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Rowan and pulled her into a hug.

"Are you okay Ro?" she whispered.

"I'm fine, just really pissed off," she told Alyssa. "Thank you," she said and leaned against Alyssa again.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger looked at Shaz. "I don't think we've got it wrong. But, it could get out now, because of this," Ginger told her. "Maybe we should have waited, tried to catch her at it, then she wouldn't have had a chance to go complaining. Not that I thought she would, she's not complained about anything else so far."

"But they're pulling pranks and stuff; we're accusing her of attempting to blackmail us, that's a little different."

He glanced up at the cameras and thought a moment.

"Maybe we should still try to catch her red-handed," he said. "We're both here today, no letters yet. What if we pretend to leave and wait for her to sneak in?" he suggested. "It will be easy enough to do at lunchtime."

Shaz nodded. "Works for me," she agreed and turned back to her paperwork. Lucy had gone running to Alex over this, not over any of the other horrible things that had been happening. Pranks! They were getting more vindictive to be labelled as pranks.

Ginger picked up his phone. "Yeah, hi Simon, no I can't do lunch today, no Shaz and I have some meeting we have to be in, they're having lunch brought in. Yeah, I know it stinks," he said in a pathetic tone. "Okay, see you later," he said and closed his phone and looked at Shaz. "That was easy. I think that storage closet just down the hall should work for a hiding place."

"Good plan," Shaz said as she twirled a pen.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy got home and took a quick shower. That had been nice, spending a bit of time with Chris like that. He was even funnier and nicer than she'd thought. She wasn't the one doing these letters, but she could do something else. She narrowed her eyes and smiled a half-smile and then went to ransack her wardrobe.

She finished going through her clothes until she finally put together an outfit. Now, to doll herself up and see about running into Chris "accidentally".

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex drove as fast as she could to the Restaurant and barely glanced at the sign before trying the door. Locked. She tapped insistently on the window.

Alyssa looked up and then stood. "That'll be Alex," she said quietly as she went to open the door. Alex rushed in as soon as Alyssa opened the door.

Rowan watched as Alyssa went to get the door and nodded at Alex as she came into the kitchen.

"What happened?"

Alyssa just pointed at the kitchen and Alex looked at her once before rushing to the kitchen and seeing James splayed out on the floor and Rowan huddled on the floor. She went over to Rowan and fell to her knees before her.

"What happened Ro?" she asked softly.

"We were doing breakfast prep, then right after Ray left, he starts talking to me. Starts telling me he was in love with me, wanted me to run away with him," she shuddered. "He must have been the one who's been sending me little presents. It's just so…..twisted," Rowan blurted and then pushed herself up and staggered to the sink where she was sick. She leaned against the sink, putting her forehead on her arm.

Alyssa got up and quickly got Rowan a glass of water. She handed it to her once she'd finished vomiting and rubbed her back soothingly.

Rowan mumbled a thank you to Alyssa and watched Alex.

"I never, ever thought….I mean…." she trailed off and sighed. "It was like my past come back to haunt me," she muttered to herself. She shuddered again and lifted her head to vomit into the sink again. She rinsed her mouth and turned back to Alex. "He pinned me up against the wall, I couldn't get any leverage to get him off me, he tore my shirt," she said and opened the cardigan so Alex could see. "He took his hand off my mouth when he thought I wouldn't scream, he threatened the twins….but I knew Alyssa was upstairs. And when I thought he wouldn't expect it, I screamed. Then, Alyssa came in and hit him with the frying pan," she finished and wrapped her arms around herself.

Alex nodded and swallowed. "Okay...okay," she murmured and looked down at James on the floor. She grabbed up his wrist and checked his pulse. She nodded and grabbed out her phone.

"Yeah, ambulance, please," she said and reeled off the address.

Alex snapped her phone shut and put it back in her pocket, she looked back at Rowan. "Do you want me to charge him for attempted rape when he wakes up?" she asked.

"Of course I do!" Rowan yelped.

"Do you need to take pictures? I'd really like to change my shirt before the twins see me," Rowan told her and took off the cardigan just in case the answer was yes. She was just glad she kept a spare shirt in the kitchen so she could change before going up to check on the twins.

On the floor behind Alex, James breathed his last.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Chris noticed it was near lunchtime and quickly grabbed up the phone to call Shaz and see if she wanted to meet up.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

"Good!" said Alex firmly, too many women refused to report rapes and too many men got off.

Alex nodded with a sigh and grabbed the camera from her bag. She took pictures of Rowan as quickly as she could and then nodded as she put the camera away again.

Alex looked up as she heard the sirens and watched the paramedics come pouring into the kitchen. Alyssa sat silently as they examined James and one looked up.

"Who called the ambulance?" he asked. Alex cleared her throat. "I did," she answered and held her badge tightly in her hand.

"You do know that this man is dead?" he asked and Alyssa froze.

Alex glanced quickly at Alyssa then looked back at the paramedic "Can you take him to the morgue?" she asked and showed him her badge. He nodded and helped his colleagues to put James' body onto a stretcher and carried it out.

Alyssa stared after them. "I...I killed him?" she asked quietly and Alex nodded, it was taking a lot for her to try to remain professional, these were her friends!

"It was self-defence, Alyssa," she reassured her.

"But I wasn't defending myself!" Alyssa said back and Alex nodded. "No, you were defending your sister who had no means to stop what was happening," she replied. "It still counts as self-defence," she said.

Alyssa nodded and looked over at Rowan. "Do you think this weekend can get any worse?" she asked quietly.

Alex frowned slightly at Alyssa but didn't comment, she looked back at Rowan. "You'll have to come down to the station to give a formal statement Rowan, Lyss, you're going to have to come, too," she added.

Alex as an afterthought pulled out her phone and quickly called Lucy to tell her to get down to the station. Once she'd finished with Rowan and Alyssa she still had to sort out Ginger and Shaz and Lucy.

Rowan quickly shucked off the shirt and left it on the counter as she grabbed a clean one out of a nearby drawer. She quickly pulled it on as the paramedics came in. She walked over to Alyssa and gasped when they said James was dead. Rowan slipped her arms around Alyssa's waist.

"Alex is right, Lyss, if you hadn't, there's no telling what he would have done," Rowan told her. She looked at Alex and nodded.

"I have to get the twins. I can't leave them here," she told Alex and turned and bolted up the stairs. She climbed up to their room and was thankful to see they were both still sleeping. She quickly pulled clothes out for them and proceeded to wake her sleeping children to dress them. She was grateful to have it to do. James was dead! She could hardly believe it. She noticed one of her hands start to shake and she quickly grabbed up the clothes and dressed the twins before dragging them, protesting the whole way, downstairs. They cheered up when they saw Alyssa, but Rowan kept hold of them so they didn't go running into the kitchen. They didn't need to see the body. They also brightened when they found out they would get to ride in a police car to the station to see Daddy.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

"Sorry, Chris, I can't," Shaz said when she picked up the phone. "I've got a stack of work that I need to get finished and I'll probably just skip lunch anyway," she said sadly. "Give Olivia a hug from me," she added.

Chris sighed. "Okay, Shaz, see you when you're done then," he said and hung up. He looked at Olivia. "Looks like Mummy is busy today," he told her and went into the kitchen to sort lunch.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger cracked the door, just enough for him to see out. He looked at Shaz and put a finger over his lips as he heard someone coming. DC Hale. He rolled his eyes and bit back a noise of irritation. He mouthed "Hale" at Shaz and then turned back to watch Hale leave the office with his jacket now on, obviously going to lunch. He waited and saw some young PC, his hands full of files go in and leave a few minutes later. More work to do. He quickly imparted the information to Shaz. He hoped this wouldn't take too much longer, he was getting hungry.

Finally he heard more footsteps approaching and watched as Lucy approached the doors of the main room and went inside. He turned to Shaz and grinned as he opened the storage room door. "It's her, she's in there," he said and bolted for the door and shoved it open.

Shaz stood uncomfortably in the cupboard and nodded at Ginger as he dictated everything that was going on in the office. She was slightly startled when he leapt out of the cupboard and she slid out after him.

Lucy jumped, startled and turned to see who had slammed through the door. She gazed at Ginger wide-eyed in surprise, her heart pounding in her chest. "You scared me half to death," she snapped. He could only stare at her, where she was stood leaning against the wall with her arms folded, near the doors. There hadn't been enough time for her to do anything and he cursed himself inwardly. It also didn't look like she was planning to do anything.

"What are you doing here?" he wanted to know as he walked over towards her.

"DI Hunt called me and asked me to meet her here," Lucy replied. Ginger narrowed his eyes at her and went to his desk and opened his drawer.

"You bitch, how did you do it?" he snarled as he held up a letter. He slammed the drawer shut and looked at Shaz and showed her the envelope.

"I'm sure you have one, too," he told her and turned his glare back on Lucy.

"I didn't put that there. I only just walked in like a minute ago," Lucy cried defensively.

Shaz went to her drawer and looked through it, she frowned as she pulled out another letter, identical to Ginger's.

She glared at Lucy.

"I didn't do it!" Lucy insisted again. "I was standing right here, how could I have possibly put letters in both your desks and be standing here like nothing was happening before he came bursting in. I don't have super-speed you know!" she snorted. She returned their glare and found herself hoping Alex would get here soon.

Shaz narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't put anything past you!" she snapped back.

"Besides, if you didn't do anything, why are the letters so upsetting?" Lucy shot back. "Or do you have something to hide?"

She saw Ginger's expression change slightly and fought back a smile. She raised an eyebrow and looked at them.

"Is this because you two had sex?" she finally asked.

Alex did a double take as she came through the doors and took in the situation. She frowned.

"What?" she asked.

Shaz whipped around, horrified. "DI Hunt," she said respectively and then turned her angry glare on Lucy.

Alex looked between Shaz and Ginger and then back to Lucy. "What do you mean is this because they had sex?" she asked.

"Nothing Alex, she doesn't mean anything," Shaz said quickly.

Alex raised an eyebrow at Shaz' hasty answer. "I asked Lucy, Shaz," she said dismissively and looked back at Lucy.

Ginger's jaw dropped as Alex walked in just as Lucy spoke.

Lucy looked at Alex and gulped. But at least she heard them accusing her.

"I overheard them talking about it last week when I was going to bring some files in, I think that's what the notes might be about. But I didn't do them," she told Alex quickly, her tone going desperate at the end. She looked at Shaz and Ginger.

"You know there's no way I could have put those in your desks!"

Alex nodded at Lucy and looked at Ginger and Shaz. "That's what all this is about?" she asked icily.

"Have you thought about just admitting it to Simon and Chris?" she asked.

Shaz shook her head. "They don't need to know, it was an accident, we were drunk and there's no way it would happen again!" she said.

"And that's exactly the reason why you should tell them!" Alex insisted and pulled back her growing need to groan. All of this trouble because Shaz and Ginger had got drunk and slept together! It was insane!

She turned back to Lucy then looked at Ginger and Shaz. "You've told me yourselves that you only saw Lucy shut a draw on that CCTV, there's no evidence that she put anything in the drawers," she said.

Hale walked into the workroom, right into the middle of...he didn't know what.

"What in the world is going on in here, ma'am?" he asked Alex. He looked at Shaz and Ginger who were holding letters and looking at Lucy with accusation on their faces. Wasn't that hard to figure out what was going on.

He shook his head and quickly headed back out the door.

Lucy studied Hale as he stood there and her mouth gaped as he left. She quickly pointed at the door.

"It was him, can't you see that?" she asked incredulously. She quickly turned out her jacket pockets and upended her handbag. "No gloves…see. He had a glove in his jacket pocket, just barely sticking out, I bet if you check those there won't be any fingerprints, then you'll know it's not me!" she persisted.

"He's a CID officer, we always carry them," Ginger snapped.

"But I'm not and he is!" Lucy argued and put her face in her hands with a growl of frustration.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan sighed with relief when Alex was finally done interviewing her. She knew Alyssa was in the next room being interviewed by that DC…Hale…that was it. She didn't want Ray in either of the interviews; she had ordered him to watch the twins instead. She had to get this over with, then she could feel safe in Ray's arms. Right now, she couldn't deal with it. As bad as she felt, she was sure Alyssa felt worse. She thought it was odd that it wasn't Ginger or Shaz interviewing Alyssa, but the way Alex had acted towards them, it seemed there was something else going on there. She didn't ask, she really didn't care to know. She was more worried about Alyssa.

She looked at the clock, glad to see it was lunchtime. She wasn't hungry, but she was sure the twins were. She thanked Alex and gave her a quick hug as she left the interview room and went towards Ray's office when she didn't see Alyssa. She must not be finished yet.

She walked over to him, brushing the heads of each twin as she passed them and sat in his lap and leaned against him. Now, she could be held. She quickly blinked back tears. Those would have to wait for later.

Ray closed his arms around her without a word. He had heard all that had happened from Alex and was privately angry that Alyssa had killed James. He wanted that pleasure himself. His arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He was so angry! But he understood that what Rowan needed right now was for him to stay calm and be there for her. He was glad the twins hadn't got up early, he supposed they'd stayed up late with Abi while she was babysitting, but he was glad that they hadn't been around while it was happening.

A shaky breath left him and he shifted her position so she was straddling his lap and he pulled her right against him, holding her tightly and burying his face in her hair. He couldn't speak to her, he couldn't find the words to say to her. All he could do was hold her and reassure himself that she was safe and unharmed.

Rowan buried her face in Ray's neck. She didn't like sitting this way after what had just happened, but the smell of Ray's cologne and the feel of "him" enfolding her, kept her from being afraid.

"Can we go home?" she finally murmured. "The twins need to eat and if Alyssa's done I need to get her out of here."

Ray nodded silently as he held her against him.

"Course," he croaked out.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa left the interview room followed by DC Hale. She was grateful that it had been a police officer that she didn't know very well, it made it easier. She felt drained now, and still shaky. She spotted the twins in Ray's office and headed towards it, smiling as much as she could at Claire and Denis before looking at Rowan and Ray as they sat cuddled together. Her heart jerked slightly as a small part of her wished that Jack was here, but she pushed that away, she was still too mad at him.

"I'm done," she said quietly as she went and sat down on the floor near the twins to see what they were doing. If Rowan and Ray needed some time together then they could have it. She was in no hurry to go anywhere.

Rowan sat up as she heard Alyssa's voice and she looked at Ray before standing up.

"Come on, we should get these two fed," she said, trying to sound cheerful for the children. She helped Alyssa to her feet and then grabbed up Denis so that Alyssa could pick up Claire. Claire was crazy about Auntie Alyssa.

She walked slowly from the station, ignoring the commotion down the hall. She just wanted to be in the flat.

Alyssa opened her arms to Claire and picked the little girl up. She gave her the best smile she could manage before following Rowan out, Ray bringing up the rear. He smiled at Claire over Alyssa's shoulder and began to pull faces at her to make her laugh. It wouldn't do to have Claire and Denis know what was going on, it would only upset everyone.

Ray led them all to the car and took Claire from Alyssa to strap her into the car seat whilst Rowan sorted out Denis. Ray was going to drive; Rowan was in no state to be behind the wheel. Alyssa clambered into the back and sat between the twins in the middle seat as Ray started up the car and drove them all home.

The first thing he noticed was the "Closed" sign on the door and he nodded. Good. Rowan was in no state to be dealing with customers today. He was going to take them all upstairs, put on the TV or something and hold her some more.

Alyssa unstrapped the twins the moment that Ray stopped the car and let Claire clamber over her to join Denis on the pavement outside before getting out the car herself.

Ray looked at the twins with a broad grin. "Right! Now, I think that the pair of you could do with a biscuit?" he suggested as he pushed open the back door for them to go inside.

"I think they need a proper lunch," Rowan said as she followed them inside. She immediately went to the kitchen when they got upstairs and began pulling things out of the fridge. She had to keep herself distracted so the twins wouldn't know something was wrong.

Alyssa watched Rowan start getting ready to cook and watched Ray collapse on the sofa, his eyes never leaving Rowan. She curled up on one of the armchairs and slid off her shoes as she hugged a cushion.

Ray glanced at the twins before turning his concerned gaze back on Rowan. She was putting on a brave face for the children but that didn't stop him worrying about her. He looked at the twins with a smile. "Go and annoy your auntie," he told them before going over to Rowan and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Talk to me, Ro," he told her quietly as he stood next to the counter and watched her.

Rowan finished cutting the last potato and dumped it in the oil as Ray walked up. She looked at him and then looked back down at the pan and began to flip the burgers.

She closed her eyes at his words.

"Not now, Ray, please, I just...I can't...I have to keep it together for the twins okay? Please," she begged and looked at him.

"It's over and it could have been a lot worse for me," she pressed her lips closed and let out a long breath through her nose. "Just...please...Ray...not now."

"Okay," he said quietly as he continued to watch her cook.

She quickly put the burgers on buns and began to put the twins' favorite toppings on them. She scooped out chips and put them on the plates and then put the plates on the table. She went back to the counter and dumped the last of the chips on Ray's plate. She looked up at him and put a hand on his cheek and then handed him the plate.

"Just eat, with the twins. We have to get Alyssa's stuff. I'll call Charlie," she said quickly when she saw his face. "I'm not going to drive."

Ray nodded at her and sighed as he took his plate from her gratefully and went to join the twins at the table. He didn't really want her to go out anywhere; he didn't want to let her out of his sight. Not today, not after the morning she had had. He smiled at the twins as they ate and kept half of his attention.

She went into the front room.

"Go eat," she told the twins and they both shrieked happily and ran for their chairs. Rowan watched them go then looked at Alyssa.

"We should go get your things while the kids are busy. I'll call Charlie, I don't think I can drive, Ray surely doesn't think I can right now," she said.

Alyssa watched Claire and Denis rush off and looked up at Rowan. "Let's go now then," she said. The sooner she got her stuff the better, then she didn't have to worry about running into Jack. She really was in no mood to argue with him.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex studied Lucy for a moment and then nodded. What she was saying made sense.

She turned to Ginger and Shaz. "He shares an office with you, he's here all the time, he knows when you're working and when you're not," she said to them. "And you choose to blame Lucy. because...what?" she asked them rhetorically.

Shaz opened her mouth and then shook her head. "Because we know it's her!" she said in exasperation.

Alex held up her hand and shook her head. "No Shaz, it's completely unjustified."

"We have evidence!"

"Circumstantial."

"Hale working with us, and owning gloves is circumstantial, why does it have to be him," Shaz argued back.

Lucy stood and gaped at the three of them talking. Why wasn't one of them going after Hale? She clenched her hands into fists and then bolted out the doors and down the hall. She stopped at the T-junction and looked at Adam.

"Hale?" she panted and he pointed. She nodded and set off at a fast run in that direction. She caught sight of him approaching the room where the CCTV was and leapt at him, tackling him just outside the door.

"What are you doing...get off me!" Hale bellowed.

"No, I know you're the one who's been doing the letters."

Ginger opened his mouth to say something and then Lucy bolted from the room.

"Uh..." he began.

Alex looked after Lucy as she dashed off and glared at Shaz and Ginger.

"I agree, the evidence against Hale is as circumstantial as the evidence against Lucy," she said. "So do not go apportioning blame until you have something concrete!" she told them. "That poor girl is having a hard enough time of it with her own department without CID ganging up on her, too," she told them.

Shaz snorted. "So we're supposed to give her special treatment just because some of the PC's are playing practical jokes?"

"No Shaz, you're supposed to give her a fair chance and not condemn her, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?" she snapped back before marching off to find Lucy.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy snagged his cuffs from his back pocket and snapped them on him then hauled him to his feet.

"Come on, you're going to tell them it's you," she told him.

"No, I won't," he told her. "I won't admit to anything."

"What I don't get is how you knew that there was anything to know. You weren't there when I heard what they were talking about."

He snorted a laugh. "I saw it on the CCTV," he told her. She flipped him around and pushed him up against the wall.

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head at her and laughed. "I saw them...with their heads all together and worried and then I saw you, standing outside the doors and listening...your face!" he said and laughed. "I knew it had to be something good."

"Fine, you can go and tell everyone it's not me," she said and grabbed his arm and began to drag him down the hall.

"I'm not saying a word," he told her.

"You have to, I'm not taking this anymore. I haven't done anything to deserve it."

Hale clamped his lips shut and smirked at her.

Alex came around the corner at the sound of raised voices and her eyes widened at the sight of Lucy and Hale. She frowned at the handcuffs around Hale's wrists and gave Lucy a reproachful look.

"I didn't arrest him, ma'am, I just cuffed him so he couldn't get away," she explained and let Alex take Hale from her.

"You can't go around arresting people with no proof, Lucy," she sighed as she separated the pair of them. She narrowed her eyes at Hale as she took the handcuffs off him.

"Interview room 2, please," she told him. "Wait for me there."

She was going to get to the bottom of this.

"He saw them on the CCTV, he told me, he saw them talking and saw my face when I was listening, so that's how he knew they'd done anything, he just didn't know what. He told me," she added. She watched Hale smirk at her again as he went into the interview room.

She folded her arms and sighed.

"He'll never admit it."

Alex sighed at Lucy and nodded

"Well surely if it is him then he's going to be on the CCTV isn't he?" she said and pointed at the room "I want you to go and check the CCTV for the CID office from about 20 minutes ago," she instructed. Alex turned on her heel and marched to the interview room. She looked at Hale with raised eyebrows and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Tell me what's going on," she told him.

Lucy nodded. "You could ask the pair of them. They were in the office so quick ready to accuse me, it wouldn't surprise me if they were hiding in that storage cupboard," Lucy told her and went to get the disc.

Hale looked at Alex.

"There's nothing going on," he told her. "That girl is just trying to pin the blame on someone else."

He folded him arms and shrugged.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger looked at Shaz. "So, you think she'll tell everyone, DI Hunt, I mean, if we don't do it ourselves."

"I'm going to go tell Simon, right now. She's right, we were drunk. It's no excuse, but maybe..." he trailed off and sighed. "I don't know. Besides, I don't want to take the chance of her telling him for me. He should hear it from me," he finished and looked over at Shaz.

"Chris should hear it from you."

He turned on his heel and left the station.

Shaz watched him go. If he did tell Simon and they had an argument then Chris would get wind of it and ask what was going on. Then he would find out and not from her and be more angry and upset than if she told him herself.

Shaz sighed heavily; at least if Chris did know then there was no reason to blackmail them anymore. She toyed with her phone as she weighed up the pros and cons of telling Chris.

Charlie looked at Annie as she sat, curled up in the overstuffed armchair.

"So, it's all out now," he said to her and Annie looked over at him.

"I know," she said simply.

"I guess you'll go now," she wondered.

"I don't see why I should stay. You betrayed me, Annie. You got me to come all this way and then you betrayed me right after we get here."

Annie hung her head again. "I know. I can't say I'm sorry anymore."

"I know," he said, echoing her earlier statement. He picked up his bag and moved towards the door.

"Take care of yourself and watch out for that man's wife," he cautioned her and she barely nodded.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lauren left Molly and Peter's, still slightly hungover, but slightly improved. She wondered if Bolton was still at the flat with Whitney and reckoned he might be. She scuffed slowly down the street and noticed someone walking in her direction. She squinted and shaded her eyes as the shape got closer and she realized it was Charlie. He was obviously heading for the station.

She hurried over to him.

"You're not leaving," she said as she stopped in front of him.

"Aye, I am," he told her. "It's out now, and anyway, I can't forgive her and I can't think of any good reason to stay."

"But you've got some mates here now," she said, her voice almost a whine. She caught herself and modulated her tone as he smiled at her.

"You're all very nice, and it's nothing against you. It's just not home."

"But..." she began and trailed off. He saw something in her face and looked at her curiously.

"But what?"

She reached up and grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him to her and kissed him.

She pulled away slowly and met his surprised gaze. "Stay for me."

"Lauren, we hardly..." he began and she fastened her lips to his again. She half smiled as this time, she felt him kiss her back.

She studied his face again as she broke off the kiss.

"Stay," she whispered.

"I don't have a place to live," he said.

"You can borrow our couch, until you find something. Whitney won't mind. Or wait...Molly and Peter have a spare room, maybe they could let you have that until you find something. You've got your job at the pub, but we could surely find you something else."

Charlie huffed out a breath and finally nodded. "Okay, let's see about this spare room, then," he finally said and Lauren let out a little squeal of happiness as she grabbed Charlie's hand and dragged him to Molly and Peter's flat.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Molly looked up as she heard the door open and frowned at Lauren and Charlie as they came in.

"Shhhhh!" she told them irritably and looked at Lauren. "I'm blaming you for this," she added moodily as she pointed at her head and took a huge gulp of coffee.

Lauren snorted. "I don't think so. I think you were the one suggested we get more drinks when the shots were gone."

"Charlie here needs a place to stay. Can he rent your spare room?"

"You didn't have to encourage me!" she glared back at Lauren then sighed.

Molly nodded. "Sure, you'll need to talk to Peter about rent though," she said to him. "But we'd be glad to have you," she smiled.

"Well, you weren't saying no too hard," Lauren reminded her.

"Thank you," Charlie said. "I'm not sure I'll be able to keep working at the pub, so I'll have to find another job. But I can pay out of what I've made so far. Haven't really spent much money here," he told Molly.

"I cave into peer pressure," Molly retorted with a smile.

Molly nodded at him. "If you're interested in more bar work then I can see if there's a job going down the club for you. I mean, I'll have to run it past Roxy first," she said.

"That would be nice, thanks. I've got experience. And Lauren was saying that restaurant over near the High Street might be hiring," Charlie shrugged.

Lauren smiled. Charlie was staying.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger walked towards the B&B with his small suitcase. At least Simon had been somewhat calm, even if he had chucked Ginger out. Ginger thought there was a chance he would be forgiven, but then, he'd never seen Simon really angry. It might be that he got overly calm.

At any rate, he would be doing a lot of groveling over the next few days to try and get Simon to forgive him. He got checked in, left his case in his room and then headed back to the station, picking up a sandwich for himself on the way. He still needed to eat; though he had lost his appetite a little he had to admit.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lucy stood outside the interview room and sighed. She looked down at the CCTV disc in her hand and peered into the other interview room. She smiled at the sight of the TV and DVD player and went inside. She quickly inserted the disc and skipped it forward until she got to the part where Shaz and Ginger were leaving. She watched as Hale approached the main room and went inside, the camera switched and she watched as he pulled on a pair of gloves and put the letters in their desks.

Lucy felt her jaw drop and she quickly ejected the disc and began knocking on the door to the interview room where Alex had taken Hale. She was sure Hale had probably been going to alter the footage, she was glad she'd caught him before he managed it.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger walked in. "Well, that's done. Simon's chucked me out, but he'll possibly forgive me. Am staying at the B&B for now. So, what's going on with Hale, do you know?" he asked Shaz.

Shaz looked at him in commiseration. "I'm sorry," she told him.

She shook her head. "No, I'm trying to stay out of the way for the time being, at least until Alex calms down."

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

"There's no evidence that Lucy Beale has done anything," she told him. "It's all just speculation," she told him. "And there must be some reason she's accusing you, Hale," she told him as she looked him over.

"In fact, you're a more likely suspect than Lucy," she shrugged. "You have access to all of DC Skelton and DC White's shifts, you work in the same office, you have CID gloves to keep you from leaving fingerprints," she listed.

"Why would I want to bother, though and I've got nothing against Shaz and Ginger."

He leaned back in the chair and shrugged.

"And everyone knows Lucy Beale would just as soon blackmail someone as look at them."

"Blackmail is traditionally reported to the police and if Lucy Beale had a criminal record then she would not have been admitted into the force!" Alex told him as calmly as she could. "I am not going to stand for this discrimination against her," she told him. "So unless you stop it then I'm going to have to start thinking about enforcing a disciplinary," she told him.

"Nothing she did was ever reported, but everyone knows about her and what she's like," he said. "Now are we done here?"

He could hear Lucy banging on the door, calling for Alex. He didn't like that.

Alex raised her eyebrows. "As a police officer you should know better than to adhere to speculation and rumours," she said in a controlled tone.

"With respect, ma'am, I've lived here a lot longer than you and I know what that little piece of baggage is like."

Alex looked up at the sound of a knock on the door and frowned slightly at Hale before standing and going to open the door. She looked at Lucy curiously and nodded.

"Anything?" she asked, intrigued by the look of triumph on Lucy's face.

Lucy was relieved when Alex finally opened the door.

"You need to see this," she said and held up the disc. "I think then you'll see exactly who the guilty party is. I'm going now to get some food, I'm starving and it's my day off," she said, making sure to sound respectful to Alex and kept any trace of annoyance from her voice.

He watched her get up and get the door and swallowed hard when he saw her take a disc from Lucy. He hadn't thought she would check it today.

Alex took the tape from Lucy and watched her go without saying anything. She turned back to Hale for a moment and gave him a studying look before going through to the office and grabbing the TV. She pushed the disc into the slot and watched from where it started.

She gave Alex a small smile and headed out.

She grabbed herself from food from the cafe and ate while she walked home. She passed Chris and Shaz' house and saw Chris in front of it getting a bag from the car. She gave him a wave and he smiled and waved her over.

"How are things?" he asked her as she approached.

"Okay, I think things are going to be sorted now," Lucy told him.

"Good to hear," he said.

"I really owe you, I do. You've been so nice to me and you went to DI Hunt and told her what was going on. You know I couldn't, not without it making things worse."

"I know," he said. "I thought it was wrong to see it going on, it's the worse I've seen."

"I just want you to know how much I appreciate it and if there is anything I can ever do for you, don't hesitate to ask, I mean it," she swore.

"Well, I can't think of anything, but I'll let you know."

Lucy smiled at him. "Deal."

She leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek as Chris turned his head and she ended up pressing her lips to his. She quickly pulled back.

"Sorry, meant to kiss your cheek," she apologized. Chris looked at her a moment.

"I know," he said and then took her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. Lucy blinked at him when he let her go. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come. She took a deep breath.

"I have to go," she finally choked out and ran off, Chris watching as she went.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Shaz looked up at Alex curiously and craned her neck to see what was happening on the computer screen.

Alex paused the disc and looked over her shoulder at Shaz.

"You owe Lucy an apology," she said shortly as she stood up and went to get Hale. Shaz moved over to the TV and gulped. She looked back over her shoulder at Ginger's desk and pointed at the screen. "It was Hale!" she told him.

Ginger sighed and nodded. He wasn't so bothered now. Simon knew everything now so anyone who tried to blackmail would be wasting their time.

"I'll do that tomorrow, I think she's working then," he said and bent his head to his work. He just wanted to get done and out of here. He didn't think he'd ever had such a shit day.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex found Hale in the interview room where she had left him and stood and folded her arms at him.

"So, care to tell me why you've been blackmailing Shaz and Ginger?" she asked him. "I think you know as well as I do that you've been caught on CCTV."

Hale shrugged. "Wasn't really, just knew they must have done something and I knew that Beale had overheard it. She's not the right sort of material for this job, ma'am. I figured I could get her kicked out by Shaz and Ginger thinking she was blackmailing them. Like I said, I don't have anything against them," he finally told her and sniffed and looked at her haughtily.

"Guess it didn't work, close though," he flashed her a grin and then went back to his arrogant expression.

Alex raised her eyebrows at him. "I wasn't aware that it was up to you who is or isn't _the right sort of material for this job,_" she told him disdainfully.

"I'll be informing the Super about this Hale, and I want you to apologise to Lucy and get rid of your attitude," she told him. "It is not up to you who does or doesn't become a police officer," she said to him. "Just give the girl a chance."

"Do what you like. Nobody wants that girl working here. I'm the only one seems willing to voice it," he sneered and stood up. He shook his head and then stalked out the door.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan nodded and led Alyssa downstairs. It looked like forensics was still going over stuff in the kitchen. She turned her head away and went outside to wait for Charlie. She took Alyssa's hand and held it while they waited and then held it all the way to Alyssa's house.

She followed Alyssa inside and up to her room to help her pack. She saw no sign of Jack.

"Are you going to stay at ours or are you going to leave?" she asked.

Alyssa began digging her wardrobe for clothes and piling them into her purple suitcase. She dashed to the bathroom and grabbed up her toothbrush, shampoo, and everything else she thought she would need. She went back into the bedroom and stuff it all into the suitcase and then looked at Rowan.

"I don't know," she sighed. "For the moment I don't want to leave," she said as she looked around the bedroom and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "This time yesterday everything was perfect," she said mournfully. "Everyone was happy," she said as she looked at Rowan. "Now look, you're shaken up and trying to hold it together, Ray's worried and angry, I'm angry and upset and worried and..." she trailed off. "And I hope Jack is still in pain," she muttered darkly.

She turned to her bedside drawer and dug her passport out and then grabbed her purple folder too. She shoved them into her bag with her purse, laptop and all of her work stuff. She glanced around the room and then looked at Rowan.

"What have I missed?" she asked.

Rowan listened as she helped Alyssa pack.

She looked around the room and shook her head.

"I think that's everything, but if you did forget anything, I can come back and get it for you. Did you want to leave a note or shall we just go?"

Alyssa looked around and her gaze fell on Jack's pillow. She sighed and shook her head.

"I don't have anything to say to him," she said to Rowan as she pulled her gaze from Jack's side of the bed and zipped up her case. She pushed it onto the floor and nodded at Rowan.

"Come on, lets go," she said as she made to leave the bedroom.

Rowan nodded and followed her out of the house. She smiled at Charlie as she got back into the cab. She stared out the window blindly as they rode back to the restaurant. She and Alyssa were a right pair. She actually couldn't wait until bedtime now, so she wouldn't have to be strong for Alyssa and the twins, she could break down and she could tell Ray. She needed to be telling him more.

When they got back to the restaurant, she paid Charlie and led Alyssa up to the flat.

"So, did Alex say if they were going to charge you?" Rowan asked Alyssa softly.

Alyssa sighed as she went to dump her case in the bedroom and looked at Rowan.

"It was self defense so..." she sighed. "If there is a murder trial then they can't lock me up for it," she explained. "Unless the think that I meant to kill him," she added shakily.

Ray looked up from where he was busy playing with the twins as Alyssa and Rowan came back in and sighed as he turned back to them and smiled at them again.

"Good, I don't want you getting locked up for helping me. Surely, Mr. Hunt wouldn't allow you to get locked up."

Alyssa nodded and half smiled. "I don't want to get locked up either," she whispered.

Rowan looked at Ray and gnawed at her lip a moment.

"So, I've made a decision, I'm thinking August, maybe the 13th...that's a Saturday. I know it only gives us a few weeks to plan, but you know I don't want a big fuss," she said. "And have you called your mother and told her yet?"

Ray looked up at Rowan and stood up off the floor, Alyssa watched him move towards them before going over to sit with the twins. She found that whenever she started playing with them she could distract herself from her thoughts for a while.

Ray grinned at her and nodded. "Yeah I have, and she nearly deafened me," he told her. "Next time I'm holding the phone about a foot away," he said to her as he pulled her into a hug. "13th of August? You sure?" he asked her. "You plan whatever you want" he told her. "I don't mind how big or small or whatever," he said agreeably.

He pulled away from the hug a little suddenly, he knew she was trying to keep it together for the time being and wasn't sure whether a hug would set her off or not, best to play it safe and not touch her until the twins were in bed.

"I thought you would have remembered that from when we told her I was pregnant," she teased. She felt him pull back from the hug and was grateful. She wasn't sure she could keep herself from bursting into tears if he'd kept holding her. She sat down with Alyssa to distract herself by playing with the twins.

She got up some time later and got the twins some ice cream and then read them two stories before they went to sleep. She made sure they were well tucked in and then climbed down and went into the bedroom. She knew she should say goodnight to Alyssa, but once she'd sat down, she found she couldn't stand up again.

She stared at the wall and took an uncertain, hitching breath before she felt the tears began to spill over.

Ray looked up from the TV which he had switched on just after Rowan had taken the twins up to bed and watched her go into the bedroom. He waited for a moment and when she didn't come out he stood up. He glanced at Alyssa who was staring at the TV screen and went and put the remote her knee.

He left Alyssa on her own and went to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him and pulled Rowan into his arms the second he saw her tears. He set her on his lap and ran his hands through her hair as he gently rocked her. For a while he sat like that with her in silence before pressing a kiss to her forehead and pulling away a little to wipe at her tears.

"He was the one sending me all those little presents, like those flowers I thought were from you," Rowan said softly, her voice still choked by her sobs. "He said he loved me and wanted me to run away with him and then he pinned me against the wall and I couldn't get any leverage to get him off me and…..and…..it was like Brian all over again, I was so scared. If Alyssa hadn't come….." she finally managed and trailed off as she pressed her face to his chest again as the tears overflowed again.

Ray closed his arms around her tightly and held her against him. He was glad that Alyssa had killed James, though now more than ever he wanted to kill the bastard himself.

"It's okay, Ro," he said gently as he stroked her hair. "Brian can't get you and neither can James, I'm never going to let anything like that happen to you again," he said firmly, failing to keep his tone calm as his anger leaked into his voice. He began rocking again, slowly and gently as he cradled her in his arms.

He made reassuring noises and held her tightly; he didn't think he'd ever be able to let her out of his arms.

"Right," he finally said once she seemed to have calmed down a bit more. "Let's get you into bed," he said softly as he stroked her hair behind her ear and brushed at the tear stains on her face.

Rowan nodded and stood up to change into the oversized shirt she wore for sleeping and crawled under the covers.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa sat silently and just stared at the TV. She wasn't watching it but the sound was comforting. She pushed the remote off her knee so that it landed on the seat next to her. She had contemplated going to her bedroom and trying to sleep, but she wasn't relishing that idea. It was too quiet in her room; at least here she had background noise in the form of the TV.

/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Shaz nodded at him as she grabbed her bag. She was going to tell Chris. Simon knew and that meant that it might get round to Chris before she told him. It was best coming from her. She picked up her jacket and strode outside.

Shaz smiled at the sight of Olivia when she got inside and went to pick the little girl up. "Did you have fun today with Daddy?" she asked her daughter as she looked around for Chris.

"We went for a walk and had ice cream in the park, didn't we?" Chris said as he came out of the kitchen. He popped open the beer he was carrying, now that Shaz was home he could have one. "I got the stuff out for tea," he told her and dropped onto the couch.

"How was your day? Did that lunch meeting go all right?"

Shaz looked up from hugging Olivia and swallowed back her nerves as Chris came in. He looked so happy.

"Wha..." she trailed off then remembered the excuse she'd given him earlier. "Oh yeah, that, it was fine," she said to him. She looked into the kitchen briefly then put Olivia down. She'd tell him after Olivia had gone to bed, that way if he kicked off then Olivia wouldn't be around to witness them arguing.

Shaz smiled at him weakly and went into the kitchen to start making dinner.

Chris divided his attention between Olivia and the TV before getting up and going into the kitchen.

"Smells good," he said and peered over her shoulder at the pans on the stove.

Shaz turned her head and realised how close he was. She smiled at him and nodded before turning back to what she was doing.

She sighed when it was ready and served up the food for him.

Chris put Olivia in her high chair and happily sat down to eat. He could see something was wrong with Shaz, but he wouldn't mention it until Olivia was in bed.

He helped her clean up after dinner and then watched as she carried Olivia into her room to go to bed. He cracked open another can and settled on the couch to wait for her.

Shaz came back out of Olivia's room and shut the door behind her. She looked at Chris on the sofa and swallowed anxiously before making her way towards him. She stood a little away from him and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I'm not going to beat about the bush, I'm going to come right out and say it," she told him. "The night that Denis got sick and Rowan left early while you and Ray were in the pub?" she said. "You remember," she added, "Well, Ginger and I got ridiculously drunk and ended up sleeping together," she told him and waited, watching his face anxiously.

Chris looked at her, his mouth agape and then cursed as he felt the beer can fall from his hand. He quickly snatched it up.

"If you were ridiculously drunk, how do you know? And...Ginger? You're joking right?"

He couldn't quite get his head around it. And Ginger was gay. Why in the world would he have sex with Shaz? He shook his head and looked at her again.

"I just...I can't...that makes no sense to me."

Shaz shrugged. "We have our suspicions and hazy memories that we pieced together," she told him. "We had a hard time believing it, too," she added.

"How am I supposed to deal with this?" he wondered aloud. He stood up and took the can into the kitchen. He leaned against the kitchen counter and stared at the wall. He could not figure this out.

"I know you were drunk, Shaz, but what the bloody hell were you thinking? Why would you go treating us like that? I just don't get it."

Shaz shook her head. "I don't know Chris, I don't know why it happened. I don't even know exactly what happened!" she told him earnestly. "I do know that it's not going to happen again. When we managed to piece it together both Ginger and I were absolutely horrified!" she explained.

"I need to...I don't know. This is just..." he trailed off. He opened one of the kitchen drawers and fished out his cigarettes and stuck them in his pocket. He glanced at Shaz and then stuck a lighter in his pocket and walked out of the flat.

Chris walked around for awhile, smoking contemplatively. He couldn't judge Shaz for this, not now. It stung yes...and with Ginger of all people. But here he was, wanting someone else when he was stone cold sober. He should avoid Lucy Beale, he knew he should. He might not be considered that bright, but even he could see she was different now. There was still that hardness underneath, but she seemed to have outgrown the vicious streak. He ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. He should go back.

He walked into the flat and looked at Shaz. "I can't pretend to really understand it, but we're going to put it in the past and leave it there," he told her. "I'm going to bed," he stated and headed into the bedroom. He couldn't bring himself to hug her or anything just now. He just couldn't.

Shaz watched him go into the bedroom with a small sigh. She'd got off easier than Ginger, Chris hadn't chucked her out. She tided up the kitchen and looked at the bedroom door apprehensively. She sighed, she'd have to sleep and he said they were putting it behind them. If he kicked her out of the bed then she'd sleep on the couch.

She crept quietly into the room, changed into her pyjamas and crawled into bed next to him, keeping some distance between them.


	9. Chapter 9

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 9**

Lucy stood and watched the toaster, waiting for the toast to pop up. This had been a good week so far, she decided. The Guv had decided Hale's stunt was a final straw, especially after DI Hunt had told him a few other things, and he'd decided to make Lucy his new secretary. DI Hunt would mentor her and she could still go on the beat with Blake if she wanted, but Gene was keeping her away from the harassment. He had decided now that he was the Super he would make his own rules and said so when his superiors tried to tell him he couldn't do it. No one seemed inclined to argue once he'd put his foot down.

She quickly scraped some butter across the toast and ate it down as quickly as she could. She was not going to mess this up. She had been very careful to graciously accept Shaz and Ginger's apologies; she didn't want to give the wrong impression. Chris seemed to be the only problem she had now. He was still nice to her, as he had been before, but there was another quality to it now. She could see it in his eyes when he looked at her and she found herself thinking about that kiss.

She drained her tea and headed out of the flat at a near run. It wouldn't do to be late. She hurried into the station and straight to the desk across from Ray's in Hunt's outer office and got started.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Rowan stood in the kitchen and watched as Trevor trained Nora on some of the prep. It looked like she would do fine. She walked into the dining room and nodded at Charlie and began to help him set up the dining room for breakfast. She hadn't minded giving the young man a chance. At least he was nothing like James. He had confessed to being hopeless in the kitchen and she was quick to offer any lessons if he ever wanted them.

She finished doing her side of the dining room and set up the till for the day while Charlie finished. She sighed. She was worried still about Alyssa. She was also tired of Jack constantly calling her to find out how she was since Alyssa refused to answer her own phone when Jack called. She wanted to knock their heads together. The only time Alyssa seemed normal was when they were talking about the wedding or when she was with the twins. Rowan knew she needed to get them talking.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Jack left the house and drove to school. At least it was the last day. He would be able to maybe step up his campaign to get Alyssa to forgive him. He didn't dare try the restaurant, but the salon now, there was potential. He tried to remember if any of them besides Kim had been in the pub that night. He couldn't remember. Most everything had flown out of his head after what Rowan had done to him anyway. He hoped she was working today. He would check at lunchtime. He looked at the small box he'd gift wrapped for her. She'd been eyeing the bag every time they saw it on TV and whenever they were out. So he had bought it for her.

He just hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way. But a gift should be presented when groveling.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Alyssa finished getting dressed and came out of her room. She was planning to on a trip up north to the cottage for a while, to get away. She needed to get away; she was finding excuses to stay away from the Square as much as possible, she'd go to work, and then come straight back to the Restaurant: Jack hadn't tried to come and see her there yet. She was sick of his phone calls. Why couldn't he get the message that she just didn't want to speak to him?

She got a glass of juice from the fridge and drained it in one before rinsing the glass out, wiping off the lipstick mark and replacing it.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Ray got the twins strapped into the car and looked around. He was giving Alyssa lifts to Albert Square most mornings so that she didn't have to walk, he dropped her off at the Station and she walked from there to the Salon. She always took her time getting down here though. If he didn't get going soon then he'd be late.

"LYSS!" he bellowed into the Restaurant.

Rowan came out of the kitchen and gave Ray a look.

"Can you please not give all my employees heart attacks?" she asked him mildly.

Ray grinned at her.

Alyssa looked up as she heard Ray yell and grabbed her bag. She dashed downstairs and called a quick goodbye to Rowan before heading outside. She raised her eyebrows at Ray as she climbed into the car without a word and strapped herself in. Ray shook his head and got into the front of the car. He was glad that the nursery offered a summer option, it was only half days but he and Rowan had worked out a system so that it worked.

Ray dropped off the twins at nursery and then climbed back into the car. Alyssa hadn't said much, commenting occasionally on whatever the twins were saying, but nothing apart from that. He was worried about her; he knew Rowan was worried, too. He pulled up outside the station and Alyssa thanked him quickly for the lift before clambering out of the car and setting off down the road. He sighed as he locked the car and headed into the station.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Gene walked into the station. At least things were calmer now, it seemed. He'd managed to change his and Alex's schedules around so that Sammy was at nursery as little as possible and the days he was there, he was only there half a day. Gene wasn't sure if Alex had realized it or not, he didn't care if she did. He was still going to get to the bottom of this bullying though.

He'd shown what he'd thought of it at the station by changing things to suit him and get Lucy Beale out of the way of it. He knew he had upset a few people, but he really didn't care. He was in charge….end of. He was sure once these people got more used to her, they would leave her alone. But for now, he had no intention of losing such a promising officer. He wanted her on his team.

He walked into his outer office and nodded at her, glad to see her there bright and early.

"Tea," he muttered at her as he went to his desk and she nodded and went to get it. She knew better than to refuse. She was "just a secretary" for now.

She went to the kitchen and almost decided to wait when she saw Chris was in there. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and went in.

"Morning," she said to him.

"Alright?" he greeted.

"Just getting the Guv's tea," she told him and checked the kettle.

"Your first week going okay?"

"Yes, it's fine, thanks."

He nodded. "I know it's not ideal, but it keeps you from quitting. Guv was sure you would and he thinks you'll be a good copper."

Lucy gave him a small smile. The tension was making her awkward and she covered her nerves by grabbing a tea bag and tossing it in Gene's mug. She turned to say something to Chris and took an involuntary step back when she found him right next to her, nearly touching. He closed the distance between them again and put a hand on her upper arm.

"I'm glad he and Alex got things sorted for you," he said softly and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. She knew she should pull back, but she couldn't. She kissed him back intently and then hurriedly broke it off.

"We shouldn't…." she began.

He cleared his throat. "I know."

He picked up his mug and left the kitchen. Lucy inhaled deeply and leaned against the counter. At least hardly anyone was here yet, no one would have seen. She quickly finished making Gene's tea and took it to him.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Alyssa strolled down the street towards the Salon, barely looking where she was going. She didn't glance towards the house; she knew that Jack was off school now because it was the holidays. Hopefully, he would just leave her be. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't even want to see him. She sighed at the sight of the Salon and grabbed her keys out of her bag. Getting a lift off Ray meant that she got here first, but if she chose to walk and get here later then she'd still have to leave at the same time as Ray. She didn't mind being early, she could sort everything out before the girls got in which meant no havoc.

Alyssa locked the door behind her and grabbed out her laptop which she placed on the front desk. She sighed as she looked around and then started setting up for the day.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Jack finally finished his meetings and managed to sneak off the campus. He jumped in his car and went straight to the salon. He just hoped it wouldn't be busy, he wanted to talk to her alone. It had been a week.

He parked and got out of the car and slipped inside. No one in the waiting area at that moment, he noticed with relief. He walked up to the desk and put the wrapped gift on the desk.

"Lyss, I can't apologize enough," he said softly.

Alyssa didn't look up from the appointment book, she didn't want to look at him and she didn't want to look at whatever he had placed on the desk.

"Go away," she said, her voice void of any emotion at all.

Her gaze stayed fixed on the page, using a pen to skim down the page, slowly: there were only a couple of pages she could go through before she had to find something else to do to avoid him.

"Lyss, no, I can't go. You have to let me apologize. I'll get on my knees if you want me to. It meant nothing, you had hurt me...I thought you were lying to me...I wanted to hurt back. Lyss, please," he pleaded.

Alyssa looked up at him. "You didn't have to sleep with someone else to hurt me, Jack, you were already doing that by falsely accusing me," she told him. "And saying it meant nothing doesn't make it any better, it makes it worse, at least if it meant something you were doing more than jumping into bed with the nearest tart!" she told him.

"You hurt me, Lyss, by telling me you didn't want me there. I didn't know what was going on and you just made it worse and then you walked out. I was drunk and didn't really know what I was doing."

He pushed the box closer to her.

"It's something you really want. At least take it. It's me trying to grovel here."

She barely glanced at the box. "I don't want anything from you," she told him as she pushed it back across the desk.

He stared at her and swiped at a tear. He sniffed and pushed it back towards her. "Keep it," he choked out and turned and left. He climbed into the car, leaned against the steering wheel and began to sob.

Alyssa watched him and ignored her heart jerking in her chest at the sight of him starting to cry. It was his own stupid fault after all. She rarely saw him cry, he was always the joker; her overly sensitive joker. She shook her head: he wasn't hers any more, she didn't want him.

Alyssa looked at the box and sighed. She couldn't just leave it there. She grabbed it up and put it under the counter. She wasn't going to open it: she didn't want it, whatever it was. She'd put it back in the house and he could give it someone else. She realised now more than ever that she needed to get away for a while, to sort her head out. She wasn't sure whether or not Jack knew what had happened at the Restaurant with James, she supposed that his being best friends with Gene meant that he must have, though it had been the last week of term, so Jack wouldn't have had much time to socialise.

Alyssa snorted and pushed all thoughts of Jack out of her head. She wasn't going to think about him.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Jack finally lifted his head and started the car. He drove slowly home and sat in the car. He leaned his head back and then pulled his cigarettes out and lit one. He drew in a deep lungful of smoke and blew it out slowly. What was he going to do if he couldn't get Alyssa back? He hadn't even considered it. He sat in the car and slowly smoked his cigarette.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Whitney looked at the clock and began to bounce slightly on her heels. She'd gone to the bank on Monday and she'd got the loan she needed. Bolton was supposed to come and help her reorganize the work area so there would be more room. And they were a couple! She couldn't be happier. She had tried being mad at Molly and Lauren, but was so happy she couldn't manage it.

She paced around the room again impatiently. She didn't want to go out front in this grubby t-shirt and jeans, not while there was people there. Business in the shop had picked up a bit since the show. Some people were put out that they had to special order the clothes, but others didn't seem bothered.

She peeked around the door again and sighed. At least this workroom had a door to the storage area so they wouldn't have to carry everything through the shop where people could see.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Bolton bolted across the square and down the High Street. He'd woken up late and he knew that he was supposed to be helping Whitney today. He had been tempted to kiss Molly and Lauren when he and Whitney finally decided to become a couple, but had discarded the idea and had resorted to simply thanking them for giving him the push he needed.

He sent her a text that he was there and opened the door and walked cautiously inside. For all the time that he spent here he still felt a little intimidated. All of these people coming to Whitney for special handmade clothes. Yeah, he always felt a little anxious in the shop, but once he was up in her flat he was fine.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Lucy put the tea on Gene's desk and then quickly went and got him a plate of his favorite biscuits to go with it. She put it down next to the tea and quickly left his office, closing the door behind her.

She nodded at Ray, who had arrived at his desk while she was in with Gene.

"Morning," she greeted. She wasn't sure what to make of Ray and she wasn't sure what that nice little woman Rowan saw in him, but he didn't hassle her, for which she was grateful. He just seemed bluff and didn't seem to talk much, either. She didn't mind. She just wished she could get that kiss out of her head. Why did he have to kiss her again? And like an idiot, she'd kissed him back. She knew her old self wouldn't have cared, and she did want to get back at Shaz, she couldn't help it, and she rather liked Chris, he'd been the only one who was nice to her. She huffed out a sigh and focused on the letter she was typing.

Ray glanced up at Lucy. He was still trying to get used to the Guv having a secretary again. At least Lucy wasn't like Debbie.

"Morning," he replied before collapsing at his desk and switching on his computer. He watched her for a moment, remembering everything that happened with Debbie. Yeah, Lucy wouldn't be like that. And Ray doubted that Rowan would get all angsty about him working next to Lucy Beale every day. A smile played around his lips, they had just over a month before the wedding. He could barely wait. He was glad that Rowan had chosen to face her fear of marriage. He'd do anything for her, he was sure that she knew that.

Lucy glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. What was he grinning about?

"Are you okay?" she finally asked. "Do I need to make you a tea or something?"

The sound of Lucy's voice pulled Ray from his thoughts and he looked up at her, a little startled

"What?" he asked then shook his head "No, ta, I'm fine!" he told her with a small smile.

"Well, I just got one for himself in there, so if you want one, it's sort of part of my job," she told him. She looked back at her computer screen and then back up at him.

"Okay, really, I have to say it, the smile is creeping me out a bit here," she told him. "What is up with you?"

Ray looked up at her and shrugged.

"I'm getting married in just over a month," he explained simply with a smug grin.

"You? Who'd marry you?" she blurted out and then realized what she'd said. "Sorry, that came out wrong. You just don't look the marrying kind if you'll forgive me for saying so."

Ray frowned at her but brushed the comment away. "Rowan," he answered her. He knew that people generally saw him as being something different from what he was.

"The one with that restaurant? The one that makes the brownies? Huh," she commented and nodded with a slight impressed look on her face. "She seems nice...pretty."

"Yeah, that's her. And yeah, she is," he grinned at her.

She picked up her own mug of tea and took a drink of it before looking over at him again. "How long have you been together then?"

"Ummm...about 5 years?" he said. "A long time anyway," he shrugged and looked at her curiously. "I think about the same amount of time that your brother and Molly have been together, maybe a bit longer," he told her.

She fell silent and typed a bit longer then stopped and turned to him again as something occurred to her. "So, what took so long, I mean, don't you have kids? How did she finally get you to propose?"

"Yeah, Claire and Denis," he smiled at her. Ray shrugged and sighed. "She didn't. I've been suggesting marriage to her for a while now, every time she rejected the idea," he told her with a sigh. "She just...wasn't ready," he said but a smile crossed his face.

"Really?" Lucy commented, trying and failing to keep the surprise from her tone. She would have thought it was the other way around. He apparently wasn't so bad after all.

"But she finally agreed and now she's got her sister helping her to plan the wedding," he explained.

"A family member helping…well you might end up paying quite a bit then," she told him. "You might have done better to keep it between the pair of you."

Ray shook his head. "Nah, Ro knows what she wants. Alyssa's just helping her here and there," he told her.

"Hope you're right," Lucy said.

She shrugged. She really should get away from this topic before she put her foot in it more than she already had.

"Is he always this grumpy?" she asked and jerked her thumb at Gene's closed door.

Ray looked over at Gene's office and shrugged. "Mostly yes, sometimes he's in a better mood though," he added with a smile. "Though recently he's been grumpier than usual," he sighed.

"Well, I'd think he didn't like me if I didn't know better," she snorted and focused on her screen again.

Ray shrugged. "He's like that with everyone," he said reassuringly. "Except maybe Alex, but that's only because she gives back as good as she gets," he chuckled.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Whitney read Bolton's text and peered around the door and waved him back. She smiled as he came around the counter and into the workroom and wound her arms around his neck.

"Hi, you," she said and pulled him down for a kiss.

"I've got everything sorted so it will be easy to move around. We can start with moving the things that need to go into the storeroom there," she pointed. "Then we can organize in here and hopefully by the time we've finished the new machines will be here and you can help me get them set up, too."

She smiled cheerfully at him.

Bolton wound his arms around her and nodded amiably.

"Just tell me where you want stuff and I'll do it" he said with a grin.

"Okay, we can start with these bolts of material right here," she said and gestured at the bolts stacked up on a table.

"Have you got any DJ jobs from those cards you got from the show?" Whitney asked him as they moved tables around in the workroom now that everything that was going into the storeroom had been moved.

Bolton looked up and nodded at her. "Yeah, I've got one coming up at a club in a few weeks," he told her and smiled broadly.

"You should come," he said. "I can probably get you in for free as my groupie," he chuckled.

"Oh, nice one," she said. Her brow furrowed at his comment. "I'm your groupie, am I?" she asked him, the smile on her face making a lie of the threat in her tone. She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist. "So what? Am I supposed to wear next to nothing and scream a lot…maybe faint?" she teased.

Bolton grinned at her. "Or just stand around looking gorgeous," he suggested. "And enjoy a free night out," he added with a wink at her.

"Gorgeous am I?" Whitney asked. "I think I'll keep you if you keep saying things like that."

"So, why don't we go upstairs and take a break?" she suggested archly and took his hand to lead him from the workroom.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Peter winked at Molly and gestured at the kitchen.

"How much different is this guy than Fatboy?" he said. "He cleans up after himself, he's quiet, I don't mind at all that he's renting the other room. So, how long do you think it's going to take for Lauren to hook him?" he asked Molly with a grin.

Molly looked over her shoulder at where Charlie's room was and then back at Peter with a shrug.

"No idea," she smiled. "She's really going for it though, have you noticed her inviting herself over to 'help' me a lot more?" she grinned. "I don't even know what she's supposed to be helping me with!"

"Yeah, she's over here all the time now, might have to start charging her rent," he said with a chuckle. "And now he's working at Rowan's, Lauren will probably be eating there all the time when she's not here. Did you hear from Roxy yet about hiring him at the club? Course, you should only do that if you want to see Lauren all the time there as well."

He looked at the clock.

"I better get to the pub," he said and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "I'll see you later. If you're not busy why don't you come into the pub for lunch?"

Molly shook her head. "Not yet, Roxy's getting really bad at checking her emails," she told him.

Molly nodded, she was working from 6 but until then she was busy with the final piece of her coursework. "I'll see you later," she called after him.

Peter headed off to the pub. He nodded at Peggy and got to work in the kitchen.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Charlie smiled at Lauren as she came in for breakfast.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked her.

"Well, it's Friday and most of the attorneys are out finishing up various cases so there's not much going on," she said with a shrug. "Now get me a cup of coffee and the breakfast special, if you please," she said with a smile.

Charlie nodded and went to place her order. Rowan watched Charlie and Lauren as they talked. She nodded to herself. That was a much better match than him and Annie. She could see it.

She wondered when she and Alyssa should go shopping for a dress. Soon, no doubt.

She went into the kitchen to check on Nora and then headed back to the counter. Friday tended to be a lot of takeaway, people hoping that they might get off work early.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Alex looked at Sammy working through his little writing book and ran her fingers through his hair with a smile. "You need a haircut, Sammy," she told him.

Sammy shook his head violently and glared at her. "No," he said to her and went back to his book. Alex raised her eyebrows at him and nodded. "You do Sammy, it's getting too long."

Sam's head whipped back around to look at her and he shook his head, brushing her hands away. "I like it long," he told her.

"Just a trim, Sammy," she said as she lifted up some of his hair. "It's nearly long enough for me to plait it," she told him with a smile and he did a perfect imitation of his father's pout as he folded his arms.

"No," he repeated and Alex sighed.

"Fine, keep it long then," she told him and he nodded and returned back to his writing.

Alex sat down opposite him and watched him when he looked up at her

"Mummy, what's this?" he asked her and Alex looked at his book where he was pointing.

"That's a 'G,'" she told him and he frowned. "A Gee?" he asked her and Alex remembered that they were taught the alphabet phonetically. "Yeah, a Guh" she corrected herself and watched the comprehension bloom on Sammy's face.

"And…how do I…" he trailed off and Alex took his pencil.

"Like this," She said as she slowly drew out the letter for him. Sammy watched and then had a go and frowned when he couldn't do it in one like Alex had.

"Try again," she encouraged and Sammy looked at her once before having another go.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Jack opened his eyes and rubbed at his face. He was still in the car, must have dozed off, he thought. He started the car and drove to the restaurant. It was after breakfast, but before lunch, he was pretty sure the place would be slow now and he needed advice. Surely, Rowan would be the best person to talk to.

He went inside and nodded at Mercy.

"Is Rowan around?" he asked her. Rowan came out of the kitchen and saw Jack. She sighed and walked over to him. She put a hand on Mercy's arm. "Go help Charlie finish setting up," she said, but kept her gaze on Jack.

"She's not here."

"I know that. I've already tried to talk to her at the salon. She won't even give me a chance to apologize."

"Can you..." Rowan began loudly, her tone slightly hostile; she broke off and lowered her voice. "Can you blame her?"

"I know I made a mistake, Rowan, but surely she can let me apologize. She won't even see that a small part of it was her doing. I didn't know what was going on and she kept rejecting me and then she left, how is that fair, Ro? How?"

Rowan thinned her lips, but kept silent. She knew Jack had a good point. Alyssa seemed to only see her own point of view.

"Jack, I don't know what to tell you. I can't help. She's still furious; I don't think she's going to see any other point of view just now. You've betrayed her and..."

"I know that, don't you think I know that, for fuck's sake!" he cried and Rowan looked at him. He snapped his mouth shut and had the courtesy to look slightly ashamed. "Sorry, but this just isn't fair."

"You're going to have to give her time, Jack. If you love her and if she's really worth it, you'll wait for her. Simple as that."

Jack hung his head and nodded. "Sure, okay, thanks Rowan. Make sure she at least keeps the groveling gift. It's that designer clutch thingy she's been wanting."

Rowan nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

Jack gave her a slight wave and left the restaurant. No one could help him. What was he supposed to do? He had no idea. Wait, Rowan had told him. As if he had a choice.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Alyssa glanced at the clock and saw it was coming up to lunch time. She grabbed up the box Jack had brought with him and put it into her big handbag. She'd drop it back off at the house then go and get some lunch. She set Maddie looking after front desk until she came back and set off.

She felt a little relieved to see that Jack's car wasn't outside. He was out. Good, this would make it easier. She found her keys at the bottom of her bag and opened the door cautiously. She sighed as she put the box on the small table in the hall and looked around the house briefly. She could see the dirty plates stacking up in the kitchen and assumed that because of everything going on at school recently he hadn't had a chance to tidy up.

Alyssa locked the door behind her as she left and made her way towards the cafe. She wasn't going to go all the way back to the restaurant, there was a lot of appointments this afternoon and she wanted to stay close in case they got a few early arrivers.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Molly smiled as she saw the time and left her final draft on the desk. She was nearly done. One more check over her essay and she'd be sorted.

She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out towards the pub. She smiled at Peggy as she hopped onto a bar stool. "Can I get a lemonade, please, Peggy?" she asked.

Peggy nodded at Molly and got her the drink.

"Are you having lunch, darlin'?" Peggy asked.

Molly nodded. "I'll just have a bowl of chips, please, Peggy," she smiled.

Peggy nodded and went to put the order in.

She looked over at Annie and then leaned on the bar.

"Shame that Charlie didn't work out here," Peggy commented softly so Annie wouldn't overhear.

Molly nodded. "He's renting our spare room now," she said as she kept her voice low and one eye on Annie. "He's really nice," she smiled. "Clean, tidy, polite, charming, Scottish," she chuckled lightly.

"Well, if I were twenty years younger," Peggy said and trailed off and gave Molly a mischievous look. She looked up when Peter came out to sit with Molly and gave Molly a wink before walking away to do something else.

"So, anything good on at the club tonight? Oh, wait, it's that end of year party isn't it?" he said. He had got together with Molly at one of those parties and he smiled at the memory. "Guess I'll dress up and meet you there?"

Molly beamed at Peggy and laughed as she walked off.

Molly grinned at Peter and nodded "Sure!" she said. She smiled as she remembered the first one that she had gone to she had gone with Peter. And now look at them! They were planning to have a family!

"I'll make sure my suit is clean, then," he promised.

Molly smiled at him. "A suit! I do feel lucky," she teased him with a smile.

"Well, if you really want to feel lucky," he began and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

She brought herself out of her thoughts and looked at him "Busy today?" she asked as she glanced around.

He shook his head at her question. "No, not very busy at all, which is strange since it's a Friday," he told her and then shrugged. "I'm not bothered though, I get to spend time with you."

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Jack got home and stared at the house for quite awhile. He'd bought it for her. Everything he'd ever done, he'd tried to do for her. She didn't want him anymore. It had only been a week, but it felt more like years. He got out of the car and plodded into the house. The box sitting on the table caught his attention. She'd been here!

"Lyss?" he shouted hopefully and began to run through the house. He went into every room, calling her name, nearly breaking his neck coming back downstairs after checking every room upstairs. She'd brought it and left it he realized when he saw no sign of her. He sat down on the bottom step and stared at the box. Rowan had promised she would make sure Alyssa got it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, then changed his mind. He would take it to her, drop it off and then come back. He was having a harder and harder time being in the house. He stood up, snatched the box off the table and drove to the restaurant.

He handed it to a surprised Rowan and turned and walked out without a word. Rowan looked at the box dumbfounded for a moment and then stuck it on a shelf below the register and quickly helped the woman who was waiting to order her lunch.

Jack went back home. He looked at the kitchen, he really should clean up, but what did it matter? He wasn't really eating anyway. He made sure the door was locked then stumped upstairs and went into the spare room. He kicked off his shoes, lay down on the bed, folded his hands over his stomach and proceeded to stare at the ceiling.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Rowan rushed around the dining room. She knew Abi would be here soon with the twins; she was picking them up from nursery for her now. The twins liked Abi and she seemed to like them and sometimes she brought Oscar with her, even if he was older than they were, they all enjoyed playing together anyway. She wondered if Ray would be coming to the restaurant for lunch. She didn't have time to text him and find out as she, Mercy and Charlie moved as quickly as they could to handle the unusually busy lunch rush.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Chris ignored Ginger and went into Gene's outer office and looked at Ray.

"So, should we all go to lunch then?" he asked, glancing at Lucy as well to include her.

"Sure, I wouldn't' mind getting out of here," she replied and looked at Ray. "If you don't mind?"

"Course he won't mind," Chris answered for Ray.

"Let's go."

Ray followed Lucy and Chris out of the office and looked at them.

"Restaurant?" he suggested hopefully. He quite wanted to see Rowan now. He hadn't really got a chance to see her when he got up, she was so busy with the restaurant and he was in charge of the twins.

"Right, as if we'd go anywhere else when we've got a choice," Chris tossed over his shoulder and grinned at Lucy, who grinned back.

"I've gotten some of the takeaway dinners they make there, but I've not actually sat down and eaten there," Lucy explained as they walked. Chris patted her on the shoulder.

"You'll learn," he said and held the door open for her and then Ray when they got to the restaurant.

Lucy gaped at the almost-full restaurant.

"Busy," she remarked and smiled at Charlie as he came over and led them to the only empty table.

Rowan saw them and brushed Ray's shoulder with her hand as she passed him on her way to the kitchen to drop off orders.

Ray grinned and looked around.

"Hasn't been this busy in a while," he remarked as he sat down and immediately saw Rowan. His gaze tracked her as she went and then looked back at Chris and Lucy as he grabbed a couple of menus for them. He already knew the menu off by heart. He knew what he was having.

Lucy caught sight of Ray's face as Rowan walked past. He was completely different. She hoped someone might look at her like that one day.

Rowan walked over and smiled at them. She tucked a hair behind her ear that had come loose from her braid and raised her eyebrows.

"Can't believe it's so busy," she remarked. She had an idea why it was, but chose not to say. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have this chicken salad," said Lucy.

Chris looked at Rowan and grinned. "Guess."

Rowan gave a little sigh and made a face. "Every time," she muttered. "Steak and kidney pie," she said and he nodded then looked at Lucy. "She gets it every time."

Rowan then looked at Ray.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her and leant back in his seat. "You're really asking me that?" he asked her, his tone affronted. Ray shook his head and smiled at her pleadingly.

"Are you doing fajitas today?" he wanted to know.

"I didn't actually say anything," Rowan chuckled and leaned over. "For you, there will be fajitas," she whispered in his ear and dropped a small kiss on his earlobe before straightening up and heading back to the kitchen.

She came back with their drinks and then went to check on a few more tables before coming back.

"Your day going well?" she asked, keeping an eye on Charlie. "At least Charlie seems to be coping well with the rush."

Lucy and Chris both nodded. "Today's okay. I think I've managed my first week as DSI Hunt's secretary okay."

"That's good, he can be slightly unpleasant sometimes," Rowan commented.

"Yeah, I had noticed."

"He's been a bit worse than usual, though," Chris put in.

Ray nodded. "I know," he agreed. "There's something up that's made him moodier than normal," he sighed.

Ray grinned and watched Rowan walk back to the kitchen before turning back to Lucy and Chris.

"I think it's to do with Sammy," Chris said. "Not for sure, but Sammy's name gets mentioned and suddenly the Guv is all annoyed."

Lucy stuck her chin in her hand and mused over the conversation as she sipped her Coke.

"Maybe he's having trouble at nursery?" she finally ventured.

Chris shrugged and looked at Ray.

"Sounds reasonable."

Ray shrugged his agreement. He didn't really want to meddle around in the Guvs business. Mainly because both Gene and Alex had massive tempers. But Chris was right, whenever Sammy's name was brought up Gene's expression darkened.

"Could be anything," he shrugged.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Gene came out of his office and saw everyone was gone. He snorted. Going to lunch without him? He shook his head and went back into his office and picked up the phone to call Alex. She could bring Sammy down to the station and pick up lunch for him on her way and they could eat right here. He still had more paperwork to go through to see what he could give to Lucy to do and what he had to do himself.

Alex smiled at Sammy as she went to get the phone.

"Hello?" she asked as she took the phone and went to sit back down with Sammy.

"It's me, why don't you and Sammy come here and bring some lunch with you," Gene said gruffly. "They've all gone out. Nobody even offered to bring me anything back," he complained.

"Awwwwwwwwww poor you" she simpered mockingly down the phone. She put her hand over the phone and looked at Sammy.

"Fancy having lunch with Daddy?" she asked him. Sammy grinned and nodded. Alex smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear again.

"Yeah, we'll get you something and be there soon."

Sammy tugged on Alex's arm and gave her a pleading look.

"Chips?"

Alex frowned. "Chips aren't good for you Sammy," she told him and Sam frowned.

"But they're yummy!" he insisted.

Alex sighed. "How'd you feel about chips, Gene?" she asked him.

"Chips are fine if there's some fish with them," Gene told her. "Now get your shapely backside in gear and bring me some food," he ordered gruffly and put down the phone. He looked at the papers he'd been going through and then frowned at the file before standing up and going to smoke.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Abi picked the twins up at the nursery and led them to the café. She'd got a text off Syed saying the restaurant was very busy and Rowan wondered if Abi would take the twins to the café for lunch. It must be busy, Abi thought, if Rowan didn't even have time to send the text!

"Auntie Lyssie!" they shrieked in unison as they caught sight of Alyssa when Abi led them into the café. They pulled free of Abi and hurried over to Alyssa and climbed up to sit with her.

"We eat wif you," Claire informed her in no uncertain terms. Denis nodded.

"Abi too," he added. "Then we go home."

Abi ordered them all food from Bianca; glad she knew what the twins normally ate and walked over to sit down.

"Hope you don't mind we're joining you for lunch," she said. "Apparently the restaurant is really busy today. Syed had to text me to take the twins here for lunch."

Alyssa smiled at Claire and Denis. She knew there was no way to get rid of them. They were both as stubborn as their parents. She shuffled over to make room for them and smiled at Abi.

"It's fine by me," she said with a shrug.

She turned to the twins curiously. "So, what's happened so far today?" she asked.

"We singded again today," Claire quickly told her and sang a little bit of "Friday" before picking up her juice and drinking it.

Abi's eyes widened and she looked from Claire to Alyssa. "Did you know she could sing?" Abi mouthed at Alyssa.

"I drawed a pitcher of Claire," Denis said and showed Alyssa. Claire saw Denis showing his drawing and got hers out and held it over to Alyssa, shaking it a bit to get Alyssa's attention.

"This is me and a puppy. I want one," she told Alyssa.

Denis frowned at her. "Mummy and Daddy said no," he reminded her. She turned and made a face at him.

"Daddy will change his mind and he'll make Mummy say okay," she said smugly and made a face back.

"Nuh uhhhhh," Denis argued. Claire opened her mouth to argue back, but Abi interrupted.

"Oh, look, the food's here," she said quickly. Claire and Denis glared at each other sullenly, but stopped talking so they could eat.

Alyssa nodded at Abi. She had heard Claire sing before but was at a loss to where she had got her voice from. She knew Rowan couldn't sing, and she had never heard Ray sing.

Alyssa looked over both pictures and praised the pair of them on their drawings.

She looked speculatively at Claire "Why not start off with something smaller?" she suggested "A dog is a big responsibility, maybe a rabbit?" she said "That way you can start with something easy and prove how responsible you can be?"

Claire snorted. "Rabbits is borin', puppies play."

Denis nodded. "I votes puppy," he agreed, his mouth full of chips.

Abi looked at him and he grinned at her.

"Rabbits are cute and cuddly and don't need lots and lots of walks" she argued back with a smile. She knew she wouldn't get anywhere with them, they were both as stubborn as their parents.

"But walks is fun," Claire argued. "You go t'the park and run round and throw balls and stuff so puppy can catch."

"Or fizbees," Denis added.

Alyssa shook her head at the twins with a smile. "What if you get bored with a puppy?" She asked them then wrinkled her nose. "And there's all that stinky dog poop to pick up," she reasoned.

"How can you get bored with a puppy? They is well fun," Claire said in genuine surprise as she looked at Alyssa. "And warm and they sleep wif you and you can hug them and pet them I gonna name it too, me not you," she said and pointed at Denis, who shrugged at her.

"You can name t stupid puppy, I don care," he said and looked away.

"Eat your lunch," Abi told them and looked at Alyssa. "They've been like this since I picked them up. I already texted Rowan to warn her," Abi told Alyssa softly.

She looked at the twins, who once they'd stopped talking about getting a puppy had been steadily eating.

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" Abi asked Alyssa.

Alyssa shook her head at Abi. "No, I'm not," she said and her face creased in a frown. She shook her head and forced a smile "Are you?" she asked back.

Abi smiled and nodded at Alyssa's question. "Yeah, course I'm going."

Her brow furrowed. "Why aren't you going?" she asked curiously.

Alyssa looked at Abi and shook her head. "I'm..." She began and then shook her head "I'm angry at him and not ready to forgive him yet. In fact, I'm not sure if I can forgive him."

"Oh," Abi said and wished she hadn't opened her mouth.

"So, ready to head home?" Abi asked them brightly when they were done eating. Denis finished cramming a handful of chips in his mouth and nodded. Claire looked at her plate. She'd finished her sandwich, but still had most of her chips. She frowned and climbed down from her chair and marched up to the counter.

"Miss B, can I haf bag for chips?" she asked, her expression one of studied pleading. Bianca looked down at her and nodded before handing Claire a paper bag to put her chips in.

Claire smiled brightly at Bianca and hurried back to the table and climbed back onto the chair and began to pick up her chips and put them in the bag. She looked at Denis. "I not sharing," she told him. "These is mine."

Denis shrugged. "Mummy will make me more," he told her. "Or she'll let me have crisps or summat," he said back, mimicking her superior tone. Claire glared at him and wadded the top of the bag closed.

"Ready for home now, bye Auntie Lyss," Claire said and climbed off the chair to walk over to Alyssa. She put her hand on Alyssa's leg and waited patiently for her kiss. Abi quickly sent off a text to let Rowan know they were leaving the café and on their way.

Alyssa looked down at Claire and smiled as she bent down and gave her niece a hug and quick kiss. She set her back on the floor and gave Denis a hug and kiss too. She watched them leave with Abi then looked down at her coffee. She had just sat and listened to the Twins arguing and talking about the dog; she'd forgotten about her coffee. It was cold now. She sighed and stood up, grabbing up her bag as she went.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Alex pulled a face at the phone before she put it down then looked at Sammy "Why are you still sat there?" she smiled at him "go and get your shoes on!" she said and Sammy slid down from him chair and ran to get his shoes.

Alex held Sammy's hand for most of the way to the chip shop. She got a small chips for Sammy, fish and chips for Gene and another small chips for herself.

Sammy half ran to the Police Station but slowed as he got inside. Alex smiled as Sammy walked ahead of her to Gene's office. She watched his little face crease in a frown as he saw that Gene wasn't there. Alex shook her head and dumped the bag holding their food onto Gene's desk.

"Stay there," she told Sam. He climbed onto Gene's chair and sat there proudly.

Alex wandered outside and leant against the wall and watched him smoke.

"So you order me to get you some food then don't even have the good grace to be where you're supposed to be when I get here," she smiled at him.

Gene looked over at Alex and stuck his smoke in the ashcan.

"Well, if you didn't take so long, woman," he shot back and snaked and arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "You know how impatient I can be," he added and kissed her thoroughly.

"Now let's go see my boy," he stated and grinned as he let her go and headed back into the building. He glanced back to see if she was following yet and chuckled.

"Hello, Sammy boy," he said as he walked into his office. "I hope you brought me fish and chips."

Sammy looked up at Gene and grinned broadly as he pointed at the bag then looked pleadingly at Alex. She smiled down at him and unloaded the food from the bag and handed Sammy his portion as she grabbed one of the spare chairs and sat herself down.

Sammy pulled his own chips towards him then pushed Genes across the desk to him.

"We got you the big chips," he told his Dad with a grin.

"I should hope so, I'm very hungry," Gene told him. He looked at Alex.

"Anything exciting today?" he wanted to know as he dug into his food.

Alex looked at Sammy then back at Gene.

"Well, we did some reading, and then some more writing," she smiled at him. Sammy nodded enthusiastically.

"I can write my name, and Molly's, and Mummy's and yours," he told him proudly.

"Really? Go on then," Gene said and grabbed out a sheet of paper and shoved it across the desk and then dug a pen out of his drawer and handed that over. "Let's see you."

He winked at Alex and began to eat his chips as he watched Sammy.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

"So, should be interesting playing chaperone at the party tonight, huh?" Whitney said to Bolton. She cuddled closer to him. "Should I wear the dress I wore to the one we went to? I still have it you know," she smiled at him.

Bolton stroked her arm and grinned. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "You still fit into that?" he teased her.

"Of course it does..." Whitney trailed off and sat up. "I should kill you for that," she told Bolton and proceeded to pretend to choke him.

Bolton laughed and prised her off and flipped her onto her back with a grin.

"You could kill me but then who would you spend time with at the party? Because Molly will be with Peter and Lauren will be with Charlie. And I don't think that playing gooseberry is fun at all," he said with a shrug.

"Well, I'll just maim you then, something painful, but not incapacitating," Whitney teased and chuckled before pulling him down for a kiss.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Lauren happily left the office just after lunch. She wasn't sure how Molly had managed to talk Charlie into chaperoning the party tonight, too, but Lauren wouldn't be able to thank her enough.

She bounded up to her room and began to ransack her wardrobe. She needed something that would knock Charlie's socks off. She'd seen him on the Square the other day; he'd paused and watched Annie as she had walked to the pub. Lauren had to take her chance and reel Charlie in before he decided to go back to Annie.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

"Yeah," Chris added and straightened up as the food arrived.

Rowan put the plates down and leaned over Ray.

"The twins are on a puppy campaign again," she whispered in his ear and hurried off to finish helping other tables that were getting ready to leave.

Chris looked at Ray curiously. "What's going on?"

Ray watched Rowan dash off and looked back at Chris.

"Oh, the twins want to get a puppy," he sighed. "We keep saying no but both Denis and Claire are refusing to give up," he shrugged.

"They are pretty stubborn," Chris remarked and then grinned at Ray. "Wonder where they get that from?" Chris turned to Lucy. "And that Claire, she'll just keep on. Denis will go quiet, make you think he's given up, but Claire…" Chris trailed off.

Lucy giggled and started in on her food. "And I bet she wraps Daddy around her little finger," Lucy ventured before taking a bite.

Ray frowned at the pair of them and tucked into his food without a word. His daughter did not have him wrapped around her little finger! No way.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Abi was glad when she finally got to the restaurant. The whole walk the twins had been arguing over what to call the puppy Abi was pretty sure they weren't going to get. Claire was insisting on Muffin and Denis was suggesting anything not so "girly and stupid." Abi opened the door so they could walk inside. The place was mostly empty now, but all the dirty tables gave evidence the place had been very busy. She herded them towards the hall to get them upstairs, but they caught sight of their father finishing his lunch.

"Daddy!" Claire shrieked and rocketed across the room. She stopped next to his chair, raised her arms and clapped her hands together. "Up, up!" she insisted as she bounced in place. Denis walked over more sedately and climbed into the empty chair at the table. He looked at Chris and Lucy.

"Hi," he said to them.

"Alright, Denis?" Chris said.

"Hello," Lucy greeted.

Rowan heard the dulcet tones of her daughter and came out of the kitchen.

"Thanks, Abi," Rowan said and handed her the money.

"Sure," Abi said and pocketed the money before hurrying out. Rowan walked around and picked Denis up from the chair he was in and then sat in it and placed him on her lap.

Denis stood up on her leg and wound an arm around her neck as he leaned against her.

"So, can we get a puppy?" he wanted to know.

Rowan sighed and shook her head.

"We've already said no," she told him softly, causing Denis to immediately look at his father.

"Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaasssseeeeeeee," Claire begged once Ray had picked her up.

Ray heaved a sigh and glanced at Rowan once before looking back at Claire and shaking his head at her.

"Your Mam said no," he told her and looked at Denis apologetically.

"But you is boss of Mummy and you can make her say yes," Claire reasoned. Chris quickly hid a laugh with a cough and hid his face. Lucy turned her head also to hide a smile. Denis nodded along to Claire's comment.

Rowan gave a sigh and simply looked at Ray, very interested in his answer.

Ray let out a chuckle. "Yeah, that'd be nice Claire, but no," he shook his head. "No, I am not the boss of your Mam," he smiled at her.

He glanced at Chris and Lucy as they dashed to pay and then looked back at his kids.

Lucy stood up. "I should get back," she said and looked at Chris. He quickly drained his tea and nodded.

"Me too," he agreed. He didn't want to be here when the whole thing blew up on Ray. He and Lucy hurried to the register to pay.

"See you back there," Chris said to Ray as he walked off.

"I'll get this," Chris told her.

"Thanks," Lucy said and let him pay.

"Listen okay, we're not getting a puppy. So please, drop the subject," he told them. Ray dropped a kiss on the top of Claire's head, he was well aware that the pair of them were probably going to go into a strop with him now. But he could deal with that: there'd be something else that they wanted soon enough, something that he would be able to give them.

"Okay, I think you two need to get upstairs now," Rowan said and put Denis down and picked Claire up off her father's lap and put her on the floor, too. The twins both looked daggers at their father, but turned and began to walk slowly towards the stairs.

"You should probably get back to work, too," she said to Ray. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. She glanced back at the twins and then looked at Ray.

"Do you think we should change our minds and let them have a puppy?" she asked him softly.

Ray sighed as he watched his children walk away. They were angry at him.

He shook his head at Rowan. "No, Ro, we live in an upstairs flat! Above a busy restaurant, the last thing we need is the dog getting loose and causing havoc down here. Not to mention a puppy takes a LOT of training and I don't really want to be picking up dog shit and cleaning up after it until it is fully house trained. Plus they need loads of walks and until the twins get big enough to take it out without us it's up to us to do it and we both have enough to do without that. And what happens when they get bored of it?" he shook his head heavily. "Maybe when they're older," he said to her.

He stood up and kissed her again. "Couple of years maybe?" he suggested as he glanced over her head at them. "If they still want one then."

"Yeah, I know, it was just a thought," Rowan sighed. "They'll survive without a puppy."

She sighed and folded her arms. "I'm going to close up early," she told him. "I know why it was so busy today, everyone coming to gawp at the scene of the crime...and me...," she told him in a slightly bitter tone. "I know I should have expected it," she sighed heavily again. "I'm just in no mood to put up with anymore today."

She gave Ray a small smile before walking over to the counter. She looked at Mercy and Charlie.

"You can go now. I think I'm going to go ahead and close early," she told them. Charlie nodded and went over to at least finish clearing and wiping up his tables before leaving.

Nora went into the kitchen and told Syed and Trevor, who both began to quickly clean the kitchen.

Ray watched her dismiss her staff and stood up. He moved over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"It will die down soon enough, Ro," he assured her softly. "But for now you have two moody kids upstairs that think I'm horrible," he smiled down at her. "And I news to get back to work before the Guv notices my extended absence," he said as he let her go and brushed a kiss over her lips.

"Go put your feet up and watch a movie with them or something," he suggested as he smiled at her and headed towards the door.

"I hope so because I don't like being made to feel a freak. It's a good thing Alyssa wasn't here, though she's probably getting much of the same," Rowan said with a sigh. She nodded and watched Ray leave.

She turned and walked into the kitchen. "Can one of you lock up for me, just send a text to let me know. I have to get up there, who knows what they'll do left alone for too long," she said and smiled.

"Sure, Rowan," Syed said. "Are you okay?" he asked her in a concerned tone.

She nodded and patted his shoulder. "I'll be fine. Thanks for your help," she replied softly and headed upstairs to deal with the twins. She walked into the flat and saw them sitting on the couch wearing identical expressions of disappointment.

She walked over and knelt before them. "Look, we live over a restaurant, do you really think it's a good idea to have a puppy that might go downstairs and cause problems? I might get into trouble," she told them. "You wouldn't want that to happen would you?"

The twins looked at each other and then at her.

"Guess not," Claire finally admitted.

"No," Denis added with a shake of his head.

"We should move then, so we could," Claire suggested brightly.

"No, we can't move, Claire. Now, do the pair of you want to stop sulking and watch a movie with me or do you want to go upstairs?" she asked them, her tone slightly threatening.

"Can we haf crisps?" Denis wanted to know.

"Sure," Rowan said. She stood back up and let the twins get a movie while she got crisps out of the cupboard. She put the box Jack had pressed on her for Alyssa on the bed Alyssa was using and then sat down on the couch to watch the film.

Rowan realized the time and muttered a curse under her breath. She left the twins watching another film and hurried into the kitchen to get dinner started. Ray and Alyssa would be home soon. She carefully prepared Alyssa's favorite. Lyss hadn't been eating much lately and Rowan was worried. She decided a bit of extra effort was needed and maybe Lyss would finally get some food in her.

She had forgotten to finish up downstairs, too distracted with the twins, but knowing Trevor and Syed the place was no doubt spotless. She'd check after dinner when she went to get the day's paperwork to sort out. She focused her attention back on the stove and began to hum to herself as she cooked.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Sammy took the pen eagerly and grabbed the paper. He looked at Alex once before furrowing his brow in concentration as he carefully started to write out all four names.

Alex sat there, eating her chips silently as she watched Sammy write and smiled proudly up at Gene.

Sammy looked up triumphantly and pushed the paper towards his Dad as he put the pen down carefully on the desk. "See!" he exclaimed as he pointed at the names.

"Muh, uh, muh, muh, yuh," he said. "Spells Mummy," he pointed then proceeded to spell out each name verbally.

"Nice one," Gene commented as he looked at the paper. "So go on and do the rest," he encouraged.

He turned to Alex.

"Anything change at errr," he trailed off and gave her a look.

Sammy nodded and leant over the paper obediently to carry on with his writing, making it as neat as possible for his Dad.

Alex sighed and glanced at Sammy briefly. "Nothing much. He won't really talk about it," she murmured back, her gaze drifting to the top of Sammy's head as she spoke.

She edged around the desk towards Gene so that they could talk without Sam hearing. "He clams up whenever I bring up the subject and goes completely silent until I suggest something else," she told him sadly. "How am I supposed to help him if he won't tell me what's going on? And the nursery are no help, they're insisting there's nothing going on. But why is he still upset when he comes out every day if everything is sorted?" she sighed.

Gene grunted and glanced at Sammy from the corner of his eye.

"We need to find out what's going on, or we need to take him out of that bloody nursery. I've had it with this."

Alex sighed and looked at him. "He starts school in September, Gene, that's less than 6 weeks away," she said. "He'll be fine once he's in school," she said. "And if we keep working our shifts like we're doing then he's not spending much time in the Holiday club at the nursery anyway," she added as she laid a hand on his arm gently.

"Are you sure about that?" Gene hissed. "There's more bloody kids there, more chance for problems. He never has mates round, never even talks like he has any."

He looked back over at Sammy, who didn't seem to be hearing any of it and looked back at Alex. "We've got to sort this, Alex."

He glanced up as he noticed Lucy coming back in.

"So let's see it, Sammy," he said cheerfully to his son. "It'll be time to go in a minute."

Alex nodded. "That's exactly why school will be good for him!" she insisted. "More children around means a bigger chance that he will make some friends," she told him softly.

Sammy looked up at Gene and pushed the paper towards him happily.

"See," he said. "I can write," he announced.

Gene looked at her, not quite believing her. But she had been a mum before so maybe she knew.

He grinned at Sammy.

"Well if you can write all this I'll have to put you to work for me," he told Sammy. He patted his son on the head and then looked up as Lucy knocked on his office door.

"You should leave soon, Guv, if you're going to make that meeting," Lucy told him. She nodded and smiled at Alex before sitting back down at her desk.

Gene frowned. "Always bloody meetings," he muttered.

"I'll see you later when I get home," he said.

Alex smiled after Lucy and watched her. She was glad that Gene was keeping an eye on her, the poor girl had been through enough.

She looked down at Sammy who had finished his chips and finished off her own. Sammy smiled at his father and giggled. He knew that whenever Gene said the word bloody that he wasn't allowed to repeat it, but it was still funny that his daddy said words that he shouldn't. Alex heard Sammy's giggle and shot him a warning look.

She grabbed up the empty wrappings and dumped them in his bin. She watched Sammy climb off Gene's chair and stroked Gene's shoulder. "Sam will be fine," she promised him and kissed him gently before turning and looking down at her son.

"Ice Cream?" she suggested and he beamed at her and nodded.

"Right then, say goodbye to Daddy and we'll go," she told him.

Sammy ran over to Gene and gave him a hug. "Bye!" he said quickly before turning to Alex expectantly and pulling on her hand. "C'mon Mummy!" he told her insistently.

Alex smiled down at him. "Go on then," she said and pushed him gently. He smiled and ran off towards the front desk. Alex turned to Gene. "We'll see you later," she told him. "Don't worry Gene, couple of weeks and he'll be perfectly fine," she assured him. "So please, try not to worry."

Gene grunted, but gave Alex a half-smile as he watched her go.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\

Chris stayed silent as he and Lucy walked back to the station. He glanced around and quickly opened an interview room door and pushed Lucy inside.

"What are you doing?" she gasped as he closed the door behind them.

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard. Lucy couldn't help but kiss him back, she knew she shouldn't. She finally pushed him away.

"We really can't do this," she said breathlessly.

"I want you," he told her simply. "And I think you want me. Let me come round yours tonight, I'll make up a story for Shaz."

Lucy shook her head. "That's a bad idea, Chris. We can't do this."

Chris pressed close to her and kissed her again.

"I hope you'll change your mind," he whispered and slipped out of the interview room.

Lucy sagged against the wall and let out a long breath. Chris was right. She did want him. But could she do this? She didn't know. She left the interview and slipped into Gene's outer office and into her chair and quickly tried to distract herself with work.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\

Whitney realized lunch was technically over.

"We better go finish up and then I have a party to get ready for," she told Bolton as she slipped from the bed. "The new machines and stuff should be here pretty soon, too, you can help me get it all set up so bright and early Monday morning, I'll be ready for business."

She grinned at him and began to pull on her clothes.

Bolton sat up so that he could watch her dress then pulled himself out of bed to get dressed too.

/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\

Lucy noticed it was finally time to go. She got up and picked up a file and walked down the hall to the main room. She peered in and noticed Ginger was gone, but Chris was still there. She put the empty file on his desk.

"I don't think you should come round tonight," she told him.

"I'll tell Shaz I have to work late, she'll never bother," he grabbed her hand. "I'll be right behind you," he told her. Lucy looked at him. She had to admit she'd been lonely since moving back and Chris had been the only person who was nice to her. He was all right, she supposed. She thought about what Shaz had done to her and narrowed her eyes slightly. She finally smiled at Chris.

"Fine, I'll see you in a bit, then," she told him and left. Chris watched her go and then picked up the phone to tell Shaz he was working late.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours, love," Chris told Shaz and shut his phone as he watched Ray and the Guv leave. He waited a few minutes and then headed out of the station. He climbed in his car and drove close to Lucy's flat and parked and walked the rest of the way to her flat.

He knocked on her door and smiled when she opened it and let him in.

"Still not sure we should do this," Lucy said as she closed the door behind Chris. He didn't reply, just grabbed her and kissed her. Lucy felt her resistance melt away and found herself kissing him back. She broke off the kiss and then took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\

Alyssa put up the closed sign and locked the door behind the girls once they had left. She shut off the main lights and leant against the door. All afternoon she had been taking new appointments, she was sure she'd never answered the phone so much in one afternoon. She felt drained. Alyssa managed to heave herself off the door and went to finish tidying up the Salon.

Once everything to the last bottle of nail varnish was in it's place she packed up her bag and left the Salon. She was walking home, Ray had offered to give her a lift, but she had refused. She liked walking home from work, especially now: it gave her time to think. To stew in her thoughts and try to work out what she was going to do. She couldn't stay with Rowan forever, it wasn't fair on Rowan, Ray or the twins.

She didn't know what to do about Jack. It was clear enough that he wanted her back but she wasn't sure that she wanted him. She wasn't sure if she could forgive him. She knew that at the moment forgiveness wasn't going to happen. She couldn't stand to look at him. She heaved an angry sigh and her fists clenched as they often did at the thought of Jack and what he'd done. He was her husband, she was supposed to be able to trust him! Clearly she couldn't if one argument led to him sleeping with any random woman he came across.

Husband? Did she ask for a divorce? She didn't know. She wouldn't consider it yet, she felt it was still too early for thoughts like that and she knew that she was still angry and prone to rash decisions. She didn't want to do something she would regret.

She looked up at the Restaurant as she reached it then went through the side door. She noticed the smell of food on the air the moment she started up the steps and she sighed. Rowan cooking meant that she was obliged to eat at least some of the food, she wasn't that hungry. She smiled at the twins as she came in and waved at Rowan from the kitchen as she went to her room and put her bag down. She frowned as she caught sight of the box and she grabbed it up and stalked into the kitchen.

"What is this?" she hissed at Rowan.

Rowan looked at Alyssa and raised her eyebrows.

"Jack came here just as the lunch rush started, made me take it and promise to give it to you," Rowan said. She put down the wooden spoon she was using and walked over to Alyssa. "Now you know I don't hold with what he did, but he's clearly in pieces, so I took it. Throw it away if you want or open it and keep it or don't open it and keep it. I would recommend hanging onto it though, for when or if you do forgive him."

She walked back over to the stove. "Now, I'm making your favorite so I expect you to eat."

"I do eat," she muttered.

Alyssa looked down at the box in her hand and then back at Rowan. She frowned and stalked back to her room, she threw the box back onto the bed and stared at it. She would return it once more and ask him not to send it back to her: she didn't want it.

She came back out of her bedroom and looked over at the twins on the sofa. She glanced over at Rowan again then opted to go and sit with Denis and Claire. She collapsed onto the sofa near them and looked at the TV.

"What are we watching?" she asked them

"Lady and Tramp," Claire told her. "Mummy said we couldn't haf a puppy cause we live here, so we is watching puppy movies," Claire told her and climbed up onto Alyssa's lap.

"You know, you could gets a puppy and share it wif us," Claire suggested and looked at Alyssa hopefully.

"I could" she agreed "I'm not saying I will, but I'll think about it okay?" she said softly. She glanced over her shoulder at Rowan and watched her for a moment before turning her attention back to the TV and the twins. She sighed as she shifted Claire gently and began to braid her hair

Claire nodded eagerly and Denis perked up. Claire almost began to bounce, but at the feel of Alyssa's hands on her hair she sat very still. She liked it when Auntie Lyssie fixed her hair.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\

Ray finished up his work and grinned as he grabbed up his jacket and headed out of the office

"See you, Adam," he said cheerily as he passed the front desk and got into his car. Ray drove home, glad he had missed the rush hour traffic and parked in his usual spot outside the Restaurant. He headed upstairs and glanced at Alyssa on the sofa with the twins once before heading into the kitchen to see Rowan. He placed a hand on her arm to let her know he was there and looked over her shoulder.

"What are you cooking?" he asked her.

"I'm making Alyssa's favorite, chili con carne. Need to try and get her to eat," Rowan told him softly. She glanced towards the front room and then at Ray again. "I told the twins what you told me about the flat and Claire said we should move," she added.

Ray nodded."Smells good," he told her and then sighed and shook his head.

"They need to understand that it's not going to happen," he said as he looked over at the twins for a moment, his brow creased as a thought that had been in the back of his head pushed it's way forward. He turned back and looked at her.

"You're not considering it?" he asked her with a small frown.

"Of course I'm not considering it, Ray, can't afford it, not unless I sold this place and I have no intention of doing that," she told him. "And yes, I know there's the money that Junior is paying me on the house, but I want that going nice and snug in the bank for now. The twins will need money for university...I hope...and we're going to need some of it for the wedding, not a lot, but some. I don't want to cater my own reception," she told him. She gestured at the cupboard.

Ray chuckled at her and nodded. "Just checking," he told her quietly.

"Why don't you set the table, dinner is pretty much ready," she said and gave the pot a final stir.

"Hands washed for the table," Rowan called over her shoulder.

"Time for eat," Denis said excitedly and quickly climbed off the couch and ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. Claire waited patiently for Alyssa to finish with her hair before sliding down and going to wash her hands.

Ray reached up and grabbed the plates and cutlery from the cupboard and set the table for the 5 of them. He looked back over at the food as he handed Rowan some plates.

Alyssa watched the twins dash off to wash their hands and followed once they had taken their places at the table. She silently took her seat and looked on as Rowan plated up the food. She had to admit that the chilli did look and smell fantastic, but she just wasn't hungry. At all. She would eat though, she knew Rowan had made the chilli for her so she felt obliged to eat at least a little of it.

Rowan responded to the twins' chatter, but kept watch on Alyssa from the corner of her eye. She was glad to see her take a few bites of food. Even if Alyssa was only doing it because Rowan had cooked for her especially, Rowan didn't much care. Alyssa was eating, that was all that mattered.

"The restaurant was overly busy today, how was the salon?" Rowan asked Alyssa. She had wondered if people had stopped in to simply look at Alyssa.

Alyssa looked up from pushing the chilli around her plate. "The phone was ringing non-stop, next week is completely booked up, and more people than usual were looking at the treatment promotion posters on the window," she said with a shrug.

She looked down at the chilli on her plate once more and knowing that Rowan was watching her took another mouthful.

/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\\

Shaz looked down at Olivia and sighed.

"Daddy's going to be late," she told her and sighed as she watched Olivia's face fall.

"Hey," she said as she put her hand under Olivia's chin and lifted her head. "He'll be home soon, just a little late, he'll still read you a bedtime story," she promised and Olivia's expression brightened a little. Shaz put Olivia back down onto the floor and watched her toddle off to get her toys then turned back to the stove, she'd leave his tea in the oven for when he got back.

Annie watched Charlie walk past the pub and hurried over.

"So, where are you going all dressed up in a suit?" she asked him.

"I've agreed to chaperone that end of school do over at the club," he told her.

"Does that mean you're staying? I mean, I know you've left the pub, but I heard you're working over at that Diner place..." she trailed off.

"Yes, I'm working over there and I haven't decided yet. Look, Annie, I'm still not sure I can forgive you. You're one of the first real relationships I ever had. Amber was nothing more than a fantasy, she was never going to have feelings for me, but I let myself trust you and look where that's got me. A strange town with no friends and the first chance you get you cheat on me."

"I'm so sorry, Charlie. I...I don't know what else to say," she said softly and looked down.

"I'll be finding out you're married or something next," he sighed and since she was looking down, he didn't see the expression on her face change to one of near panic. She bit her lip and smoothed her expression before lifting her face.

"I'm not married, Charlie," she told him sincerely, which was more or less the truth. Charlie caught sight of Lauren, Whitney and Bolton walking in his direction.

"I have to go, I can't be late," he told her and turned away from her without a word and joined his new-found friends.

Annie watched him walk away and her brow furrowed. She was going to have to be careful he didn't find out too much about her past. She walked slowly back to the flat and sat on the couch staring at the wall until she fell asleep.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Chris made sure to clean himself up when he finally climbed from Lucy's bed. He leaned over the bed.

"When can we..." he trailed off and pressed a kiss against her lips.

"We'll just have to see won't we?" she replied. "I'll see you."

Chris nodded and headed out of the flat.

"I'm home," he called out as he walked into his own home.

Olivia looked up immediately and bounced off the sofa, her book clasped firmly in her grasp as she bolted towards Chris.

"Peease daddy," she said as she held the book up to him.

Shaz turned around and glanced at Chris before grabbing his plate from the oven and setting it on the table.

"She's been waiting for you to get back so you could read her her bedtime story," she explained as Olivia went on her tiptoes to hold the book higher for him.

Chris quickly swung Olivia up into his arms and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Of course we'll have a story, I made absolutely sure I would not be late for storytime," he told Olivia and then walked over and gave Shaz a quick kiss on the cheek before taking Olivia to her room.

When she'd fallen asleep he came back out and sat down to eat. "Thanks for this, I only had a packet of crisps and a Kit Kat from the machine, I'm starving," he told her. "There's talk Hale is going to resign, so I thought I might pick up a few of his nights if you don't mind. We could use the extra," he said and began to shovel food into his mouth.

Shaz sat down at the table opposite him, a mug of coffee in hand and watched him eat. "That's fine" she nodded "If you're sure you want to do it, I don't mind putting in some extra shifts too, you don't have to take all of them Chris" she offered as she smiled at him

"Just a few mind, I know it's a bit more money, but I don't want to miss out on too much time with my girls," he told her with a smile. "Course, it's still just a rumor for now."

Shaz nodded at him and sipped her coffee "Just let me know which nights so that our shifts don't clash," she told him.

"Well, of course," Chris snorted and set about finishing his food.


	10. Chapter 10

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 10**

Rowan opened her eyes and started. Had she heard a noise? She looked at the clock and rubbed sleep from her eyes before quickly canceling the alarm. It was time to get up anyway. She carefully slipped from the bed and pulled her dressing gown on over her pajamas and quietly left the room to go and make some coffee.

Alyssa looked up as Rowan came out of her bedroom. She sighed, she had been hoping to sneak off without waking her, she knew Rowan was a light sleeper in the mornings and she had tried to be quiet. She shouldered her bag and edged backwards, there was no way she could open the front door without Rowan hearing her.

She reached the light switch and turned it on.

Rowan jumped and whirled around, the scream dying to a squeak from her throat.

"Lyss, what is going on?" she whispered and noticed the bag. "Are you leaving? Not for good I hope," she said worriedly and walked over to Alyssa and put a hand on her arm.

Alyssa nodded, then shook her head in answer to Rowan's questions. "I'm just going up to the Cottage for a few days, I need to get away from Walford for a while," she explained softly. "I was going to catch the early train, I didn't want to wake you," she told her.

"I'll be okay Ro, I'll come back in a week or so," she said. "I just need to sort myself out," she added as she took Rowan's hand. "I need to go or I'll miss my train," she said softly as she gave Rowan a quick hug.

Rowan nodded. So the same had happened to Alyssa, but she didn't seem to be bothered why. She wondered what would happen after everyone heard Gene on the news tonight, saying they didn't intend to press the matter with Alyssa since she had acted in defense etc… She finished eating and began to clear the table.

"Okay, well I don't blame you with everything that's happened. Rowan hugged Alyssa quickly and watched her go. Rowan was glad that at least she knew where Alyssa was going, if she was needed. She locked the flat door and went into the kitchen to start the coffee brewing. She jumped up and sat on the counter next to the coffee maker to wait for it to brew, tapping her mug idly with her fingers.

Despite everything, she found herself wondering if Jack was okay.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Jack reached over and picked up the pack of cigarettes to fish out another and found it empty. He scrubbed at his face and finally swung himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. He reached into the bedside table and pulled out another pack and lit up. He looked at the overflowing ashtray for a few minutes before picking it up and dumping it in the waste can near the dresser.

He was going to have to deep clean this room if Alyssa ever came back...unless she didn't. In which case, he would have to deep clean it in preparation to sell the house. But for now...he shrugged and took a long drag. He'd left the window cracked so at least the room wasn't in a haze. He glanced at it...sun wasn't even up yet. At least it was summer. He could lie here staring at the ceiling all day, just as he had done all night, no one would mind. Only Alyssa might care, if she ever came back...unless she didn't.

He realized he was in dire need of a shower, but who would care? He hadn't eaten either. He picked up the half-full bottle of scotch and took a long pull off of it and settled himself back on the bed. He put the ashtray on his chest and focused his gaze on the ceiling once again.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Peter hauled himself off the bed with a groan. His head was pounding! He padded from the bedroom and looked around at the bodies of his friends littering the furniture and floor. He had expected just a few quiet drinks when he'd suggested they come to his and Molly's for a drink or two…not an all night, drink-till-you-pass-out party. He quickly and quietly fixed himself and Molly cups of tea and went back into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Here, love," he said softly as he put her mug down on the bedside table. He leaned back on his pillow and sipped at the hot liquid. He reached into the drawer and quickly fished out the bottle of paracetamol and swallowed two of them. He left the bottle out in case Molly would want some.

He closed his eyes and wondered why Mr. Rimmer hadn't been at the party. He was always there to supervise. Mrs. Rimmer hadn't been there either, no surprise there, though, if she'd thought Mr. Rimmer would be there. He glanced at Molly's back and wondered if they shouldn't have Mr. Hunt go and see Mr. Rimmer. The two men were mates after all, and Mr. Hunt was with the police, if Mr. Rimmer was in some sort of trouble, that might help. He took another sip of his tea. He would ask Molly what she thought when she woke up.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Lauren's eyes cracked open and she gave a small smile as she noticed she was in Charlie's bed with his arms around her. Granted, they'd only passed out together, nothing else, but she considered this to be a big step up. She sighed and cuddled up closer to him and closed her eyes again.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Molly shifted in her sleep and groaned as she opened her eyes. She rolled onto her back and accidentally bumped into Peter. She muttered an apology and struggled to sit up, her hand clasped to her head. She spotted the paracetamol and dry swallowed two pills before spotting her mug. She grabbed it and took a large gulp, wincing as she burnt her tongue.

"Never let me drink like that again," she muttered to Peter as she sank back down into the pillows.

"Yeah, or me," Peter muttered. "Everyone is still passed out in the front room," he told her. "Looks like a bomb went off."

He took a sip of tea and looked at her. "So, why do you think Mr. Rimmer wasn't at the party? Do you think he's okay? I'm wondering if we shouldn't have your stepfather go talk to him, I mean, they are mates right?"

Molly sighed and shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "He's always at them, maybe he's ill or something?" she suggested. "Gene and Mum have been worried a lot about Sam recently, I don't think he's been going out much, I'll ask him and see," she promised him.

"Alyssa wasn't there either," she commented with a sigh. "She's always at them since she and Mr. Rimmer got together."

Peter nodded. "Well, it's just…you know there was all that trouble with Mr. and Mrs. Rimmer," he ventured and then shrugged.

Molly nodded slowly. "Everything that came out in the pub," she said softly. "You think they still haven't sorted that yet?" she wondered sadly.

"I'm thinking not," Peter hazarded. "Unless they made up and that's why neither of them were there. But Charlie says Alyssa is still staying over with Rowan and Ray."

Molly sighed. "Surely if they'd made up then they would have both be there," she reasoned.

"There is that," Peter shrugged and sighed. "It's just not like him."

Molly nodded in agreement silently and went to take another, more cautious gulp of tea. Her tongue hurt from the burn earlier.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Whitney slipped from Bolton's arms and pushed herself to her feet to stagger to the bathroom. She quickly washed her face with cold water and rummaged through the medicine cabinet until she found some pain killers for her head. She frowned at herself in the mirror before padding into the kitchen to make herself some tea. That had been some party; she had to admit to herself. She looked at everyone passed out in various places in the front room and sighed. It had been fun at any rate. She noted she couldn't see Lauren and somewhere dimly remembered she and Charlie had gone into his room. Way to go, Lauren, she smiled to herself and went over to wake Bolton.

She herself needed to get home and sort a few more things before the new people started on Monday.

Bolton grumbled and rolled onto his front and rested his head on the floor.

"Mmm, not gettin up," he muttered as he groped around for something soft to rest his head on.

Whitney slapped Bolton 's hand before it strayed to uncomfortable territory. " Bolton , stop, there's people here," she hissed in his ear. "Let's go do the walk of shame down to the café, I want a lot of strong tea and I bet you'll be wanting a fry up in a minute."

She took another sip from the mug and put it on the coffee table with two pain killers. "Take those," she told him.

Bolton grudgingly rolled back onto his front and dry swallowed the painkillers. He heaved a sigh and sat up before planting his hands firmly on the floor and rising to his feet. He looked at her as he managed to stand.

"You said something about a fry up?" he asked her as he looked around at the unconscious people around them.

Whitney rolled her eyes. Trust mentions of food to get him going. She grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards the door.

"Let's go."

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa walked to the train station from Rowan's, enjoying the silence of the early morning. Needless to say she was glad she had brought her cardigan, it was chilly this early as the sun wasn't properly out yet. She smiled ruefully as she neared the train station and got herself a ticket before sitting down on her platform, her bag on her lap, watching the sky. She'd been thinking about going up north for a while, she had a set of keys to the cottage and Ffion would be there anyway.

Her gaze drifted as a train thundered through the station without stopping and her hair was blown back from her face. She sighed and looked back at the sky. She had left the gift from Jack in her room, she was curious what was in it but refused to open it. She didn't want to accept any gifts but seeing as he was giving her no choice but to keep it she had resolved not to open. Another train made its way through the station at a slower pace and stopped at her platform. She rose and went to get on it. A few short hours and she would be in Emmerdale Village.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Rowan picked up her cell phone and toyed with it for a few minutes before calling and leaving Rodney a message on his business phone to pick Alyssa up at the train station in town. She was glad she and Ray had been to visit many times over the past couple years, at least she knew who to contact to help Alyssa out. She looked at the time and decided not to call Ffion, it was too early yet.

She put her phone down and quickly filled her mug with coffee and doctored it up the way she liked it before taking a sip. Now that Alyssa was gone, she really ought to go and see about beating some sense into Jack's head. She thinned her lips as she nodded to herself.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Rodney yawned and stretched as he pulled out his business mobile and checked his messages. His jaw dropped when he heard the one from Rowan. He looked at his watch and quickly jumped in the car. If he hurried he should just make it in time. He really should start setting his alarm to wake himself up earlier, he told himself as he sped away from the village. He pulled up at the train station and quickly got out and half ran to see if Alyssa was there yet.

He finally spotted her and waved with relief.

"Hello, your Rowan called to ask me to pick you up," he told her.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa looked at Rodney in surprise, but smiled regardless. She'd been waiting for a taxi to show up for a while, she wasn't about to turn one away.

"Thanks," she smiled and made a mental note to thank Rowan later. She walked with him to the car and got inside.

Rodney smiled and opened the door for her and drove her back to the village. He pulled up in front of the cottage and quickly got out to open the door for her. He'd been tempted to ask her where Jack was, but had changed his mind. Something must be wrong there for her to have been so withdrawn the whole drive.

"Let me know if you need anything," he said with a smile and got back in the car with a quick wave.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Ffion burst into giggles as he wrestled with her in the tub. She straddled him and leaned against his chest as she pressed her lips to his.

"Now, behave," she purred and kissed him again.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa nodded at Rodney and waved at him as he left. She turned and looked at the cottage, memories of her past visits here crossing her mind before she pushed them away. She didn't want her mind clouded by stuff like that while she was trying to sort herself out. She dug in her pocket for the keys and pushed them into the keyhole with a sigh. She pushed open the door and looked around.

"Ffion?" she called out as she shut the door and started to make her way upstairs to put her stuff in the bedroom.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Rowan quickly finished her coffee and climbed into the shower to get ready for work. She yawned as she walked into the bedroom and quietly opened the wardrobe to decide what to wear that day.

Ray groggily opened his eyes and looked up as he heard quiet footsteps. He smiled at the sight of Rowan and leant up on his elbows as he looked her over.

"Come back to bed," he said softly.

Rowan turned and looked at him. She pointed at the towel on her head and then the one she had wrapped around herself. "As you can see, I've just had a shower, Ray," she chided him and turned back around to look at her clothes.

"I can see that," he said approvingly as he looked her over with a grin. "It's half the reason I think you should get back in bed."

"Alyssa's left. She's gone to the cottage for awhile, clear her head," she told Ray as she gazed blankly at her clothes. She knew she just needed jeans and a t-shirt, but for some reason she just couldn't get it to click in her head. "Someone should probably look in on Jack. If I know him, he'll be wallowing in excessive self-pity and not taking care of himself at all," she muttered.

Ray scrambled out of bed and went to stand behind Rowan. He peered over her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her back against him. One hand came up and traced the top of the towel over her breasts and moved his gaze to the wardrobe.

"What are you looking for?" he asked her softly as he stared at her clothes with her.

Rowan sighed and leaned back against him. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just…Alyssa's gone and Jack looked like hell when he stopped in yesterday morning and there's all this to-do still about what happened last week. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm in a fishbowl, people coming to stare at me. You know it's going to be worse today probably, after that announcement Gene made last night. I guess I'm wondering if I should just not open today," she said, her voice slightly ragged and weary.

"Or open and just don't work. Stay here all day, my day off," he told her softly. "We can just stay in here with the twins and have a family day, or go out early before the Restaurant opens and have a day out" he suggested to her.

"I can't open and then not work. I don't have enough people to cover what it might be like today," she told him.

"Then stay in the kitchen or just don't open," he suggested.

She was becoming very aware of the feel of Ray against her back. She had avoided any intimacy with Ray all week, but it hit her that she'd been through worse. It was Ray and he would never hurt her. She reached up and pulled the towel from her head and then put her hand over Ray's and used it to push the towel from her body as she turned and pressed her now-bare flesh against him. She wound her arms up around his neck.

"I guess I'd rather do something else," she said and pulled him down for a kiss.

Ray kicked the towels out of the way and held her tightly as he kissed her, running his hands slowly over her body. He gently lifted her into his arms and moved to lay her on the bed. He turned around and looked at the door; he crossed the room and locked it shut before turning to look at her on the bed. He shed his boxers and moved over to her. He crawled over her and pressed his lips to hers.

"Door locked, no interruptions," he murmured against her lips as his hands ran down her sides.

"Very good," Rowan mumbled as her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back hungrily. She definitely needed this.

Ray broke the kiss and looked down at the woman he was going to marry with a smile, he shifted her legs apart with his knees and kissed his way down the front of her body. He grinned as he kissed her hip then moved his lips between her legs, his hands stroking up and down her legs gently.

"Oh, Ray," Rowan gasped. She closed her eyes and let what he was doing wash over her. She quickly shoved the corner of her pillow into her mouth as she felt herself come and the shriek welled up in her throat. It wouldn't do to scare the twins; even if the door was locked they hardly needed their mother screaming the house down.

She raised herself up on her elbows and looked down at him. She shifted her legs and sat up all the way and took his face in her hands.

"Your turn now," she said, her tone nearly a threat as she giggled wickedly and rolled him onto his back. She trailed her fingers down his chest, raking her nails gently through his chest hair, following her hands with her lips. She settled her hands on his hips and slowly took him into her mouth.

Ray groaned and his hands fisted in the blankets. Slow, she was going slow, why did she have to go slow? He clenched his teeth together in a resolve to be as quiet as possible: the longer the twins stayed asleep the longer they could do this.

"God Rowan," he said as quietly as he could. He fought desperately to control himself but his eyes shut.

Deciding he'd had enough he pushed her off him and rolled on top of her and kissed her as he pushed her legs apart and thrust into her, moaning into her mouth. This never got old. He raised his head and looked down at her, his hand coming to bury itself in her hair and his other arm wrapping around her waist to hold her close to him as he moved inside her. He put his lips to her neck and kissed his way back up to her lips, keeping his movements deliberately slow.

Rowan smiled, knowing that he was losing control. She loved him being at her mercy, she knew he did too, a bit.

She moaned into the kiss as she felt him thrust into her and she hissed out a yes. The slowness was agonizing, but so wonderful at the same time. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and moaned his name. She could feel herself getting closer and closer.

"Now, Ray, now," she heard herself whispering over and over again and pressed her lips against his, hard, before tipping her head back and clenching her teeth against a scream as she went over the edge. She slid her arms tighter around him, holding herself close to him to try and stop shaking as she buried her face in his neck and panted for air.

Ray found himself struggling to maintain his slow pace. He tightened his grip in her hair as he sped up and watched her beneath him. He smirked softly, she was so beautiful. Ray's head dropped as he pressed his lips to hers again and another moan left him as his hips moved against hers relentlessly.

Ray sagged above her and rested his forehead on her shoulder as he gasped for air. After a moment he dropped and rolled onto his side, dragging her with him and reached for the duvet to cover them both. He looked at her face and smiled as he brushed her hair behind her ears and gave her another kiss.

"So," he said softly as he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close to him. "What's going to happen with the Restaurant today?" he wanted to know.

Rowan sighed and leaned her head against his chest.

"I think it will be closed today. I'm not in the mood to be a freak show today. I'm in the mood to stay in bed late with this amazing man I know," she told him and tilted her head to kiss his chin. "Besides, it's been awhile since we've all had a proper day together."

She leaned back slightly and looked at him. "Maybe we should take a page from Alyssa's book and go somewhere, but just for the day," she suggested.

Ray stroked her arm lazily and nodded.

"Yeah. My days off tend to clash with your busy days in the Restaurant," he commented dryly, a frown on his face. "We really need to try to plan those better," he sighed and looked down at her; he smoothed his face into a smile and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"How about unlocking the door so when our two little monsters wake up they can suggest ideas for a day out?" he suggested with a smiled at her and then frowned again. "Have to put pyjamas back on first though" he added as he looked down at the floor and grabbed his boxers back and slipped them back on. He looked at the still open wardrobe door and then back at Rowan curiously.

"Why were you muttering about Jack earlier?" he asked her. "I wasn't really listening," he admitted with a bashful grin.

"I don't really plan the busy days," she told him, "they just sort of happen."

Rowan sighed, she wasn't done cuddling yet. She admired him as she watched him put his boxers back on and finally rolled and sat up on the edge of the bed. She walked over to the dresser and pulled some underclothes on. She grabbed out a long t-shirt and then unlocked the bedroom door before climbing back into bed and curling up next to Ray.

"I was just thinking that Jack should be checked on. You know what he's like. I don't hold with what he did, but he seemed in bad shape when he dropped that box off for Lyss yesterday. I'm just worried."

She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at him. "Mostly because Lyss is unlikely to do anything stupid," she added, leaving the fact that Jack possibly would do something stupid unspoken.

"Yeah, they happen on my days off," he grumbled. "Maybe I'll just keep my days off a secret and then the Restaurant won't know and won't conspire against us and it will be empty," he muttered quietly.

Ray welcomed her back into his arms and tucked her against him comfortably, moving the pillows around behind him until he was comfortable. He brushed a kiss across her forehead and tightened his arms around her as he rested his head against hers.

"Well, I don't mind popping round there to check on him while you get the twins ready, once they're awake anyway," he offered. "Unless you want to do it?"

"I'm thinking we could just stop by there before we go wherever it is we decide to go," she told Ray. "Now, I think since they aren't awake yet, we should practice for the wedding," she told him and slid a hand behind his head and kissed him, long and slow. She smiled as she broke off the kiss.

"Too much?" she wondered and then sighed and lifted her eyes to the ceiling as she heard the thud of two pairs of small feet hitting the floor. She let out a small laugh as she looked back at Ray.

"Whoever said 'pitter patter of little feet' clearly never had children," she observed as she heard the steps made a low thunder above their heads.

Ray raised his eyes up to the ceiling too and smiled softly. "Seems we're going to get the two of them joining us very soon," he sighed and looked back at her.

"Now, we were discussing the wedding..." he said as he cupped her cheek. Ray pressed his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly.

"How about that?" he asked her as he let her face go and settled back down. He smirked broadly at her. "When do we move on to practising for the wedding night?" he wondered, half listening to the sounds of the twins moving around.

"That's probably more acceptable in front of people," Rowan conceded. She snorted a laugh at his question. "I thought we just finished doing that!"

She brushed her lips against his and sat up. "One of us should deal with them," she said pointing at the ceiling, "and one of us should get breakfast started because I'm starving," she told him and looked at him over her shoulder, her lips quirked in a half-smile.

"Shotgun not cooking!" he said and leapt from the bed with a grin. He winked at her and headed out of the bedroom.

"Right," he announced as he came into the hall. "I heard footsteps," he said as he looked around. "Where are you two hiding?"

Rowan shook her head and pulled on a pair of pajama pants before heading into the kitchen. She swatted Ray's behind as she walked past him. "Don't you think you should put some more clothes on?" she whispered at him and chuckled.

Ray looked at her and frowned "Why? They know I sleep like this!" he said back before retreating back to the bedroom and grabbing a dressing gown.

Rowan sighed and shook her head. She paused before heading into the kitchen. "What about Southend?" she suggested and continued on into the kitchen to rummage in the fridge for breakfast fixings.

Ray looked over his shoulder at her and nodded once before heading upstairs.

/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/

Ffion giggled loudly again and grabbed at Cain's hands as moved and pinned her underneath him with a loud splash.

"You're making a mess," she scolded and his lips on her silenced her further complaints.

"I'll help you clean it up…maybe," he murmured and kissed her again.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa sighed as she heard giggling and voices coming from the bathroom. She shook her head, Ffion never changed. She was just glad that the door was shut. She supposed she should let her know that she was here, that way she didn't get a nasty surprise when Ffion and her 'friend' found out she was here.

Alyssa knocked loudly on the bathroom door. "Fee," she said.

Ffion gasped at the knock on the door.

"Oh shit," she said very softly. "Be out in a minute," she replied loudly and frowned and shook her head as Cain lowered his head to kiss her again.

"We have to get out now," she told him and managed to slip out from under him and get out of the tub. She grabbed her towel and held out one to Cain. She quickly wrapped it around herself and opened the bathroom door and squeezed out of the bathroom door.

"Hey, I had no idea you were going to be here this weekend," Ffion said, her tone contrite and apologetic. "We'd have gone to his otherwise."

Alyssa shook her head. "It was unplanned," she told Ffion. "I just wanted to let you know I was here, don't let me disturb you," she said tonelessly. "I'm going to go for a walk over the fields anyway," she added with a shrug and turned to go into her bedroom to get changed.

She changed into her jeans and a shirt and grabbed her wellies. She came out of her room, pocketing her house keys.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Cain quickly pulled his clothes on and opened the door to the bathroom.

"See you later, then," he said to Ffion and gave her a quick kiss. "Come round mine later, if you want."

He grinned at her and tipped a wink at Alyssa before heading downstairs.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Gennie noticed Alyssa going into the cottage and her eyebrows went up in surprise. She didn't know they were here this weekend. She smiled and wondered if Rowan had come, too. The girls were going to have to have a proper night out. She hurried to the café to get a coffee and then she could call Katie and Leyla and let them know.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Gennie smiled at her mother and bid her a quick goodbye as she headed out of the café. She glanced over at the cottage and then at the shop. She'd go see Leyla first. She ran over as quickly as she could without spilling her coffee.

"Hiya," she said and waved her hand. Leyla looked up and gave Gennie a quick wave back before settling her hand back on her belly.

"Alight, Gennie?" she said and looked at Gennie's coffee acquisitively. "I miss coffee sooo much," she groaned enviously. "David's not here, give us a little sip, just a little one?" she pleaded and Gennie shook her head.

"You wouldn't like it anyway," Gennie told her and Leyla sighed.

"That's so not fair," she complained and kicked the wall. Gennie snorted a laugh and took another sip of her coffee.

"Alyssa's here, I just saw Rodney dropping her off."

"Really? Wait? Rodney dropping her off? She and Jack always drive together," Leyla said in confusion.

"I know, but maybe he could stuck working or something," Gennie suggested and Leyla shook her head.

"He'd be out of school now, he wouldn't have nowt to do," Leyla disagreed. Gennie shrugged.

"Well, I don't know then," she said and took another sip of her coffee. Leyla walked over to the entrance of the shop and leaned against the doorway.

"Well, hopefully she'll come by and say hi," Leyla said as her hand strayed to her swollen belly again.

"I was going to call Katie," Gennie said.

"Oh, yeah, you should," Leyla agreed and went to get her chair to sit in.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa scowled after Cain and flinched as he winked at her. Him! She turned to face Ffion accusingly. She was sleeping with _that man_! Alyssa shuddered slightly but didn't comment. Whenever she came up here she avoided the Garage and Cain no matter what. Now he was in her cottage, she couldn't bear the idea. Her arms clutched around her middle as she gave Ffion a reproachful look, she would have to ask which rooms he had been in and clean them all until she was satisfied that there was no trace of him left anywhere.

"I'm going for that walk," she said. "I can't stop you from sleeping with..._him,_" she said. "But please don't do it here, I don't want him in this Cottage. Ever," she told Ffion firmly and shuddered again.

Ffion's eyes widened and she backed up a step. She'd never seen Alyssa so angry. She knew Alyssa wasn't crazy about Cain, he could get on some people's nerves, but since Ryan had left and Carl and Chas had got back together, she'd been at a bit of a loose end. Cain had seemed interested so she'd gone with it. This was only the second time they'd been together, but what a night it had been!

"Okay, sorry, Lyss," Ffion said softly and wrapped her arms around herself. She watched Alyssa go and shook her head before going back into the bathroom to clean it. She really couldn't figure out Alyssa's reaction. There was clearly something going on. She wondered if she should call Jack, he was oddly absent and that was strange. She bit her lip and went to throw on shorts and a top before she attacked the disaster that was the bathroom.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Gennie saw Alyssa emerge from the cottage and handed her empty coffee cup to Leyla before running over.

"Hey, Alyssa, I thought that was you. We didn't expect to see you this early," she said in a rushed tone. "Is it just you?"

Alyssa looked up at Gennie and nodded. She'd hoped it was early enough not to run into anyone, apparently not. She forced a smile.

"Yeah, just me," she answered and looked past Gennie towards Leyla, keeping the smile resolutely on her face. "How's things?" she asked after a moment.

"Um, good," Gennie replied uncertainly. She could see Alyssa didn't seem herself and it made her uncomfortable. She didn't really know what to do. She glanced back at Leyla.

"Well, you seem busy, so I'll let you get on with it. Will you maybe join me and Leyla and Katie for lunch? We called her when we realized you were here," Gennie burbled in a rush again. She was babbling now, great.

"So, Woolpack at around noon if you fancy it," Gennie told her and patted Alyssa's arm. She gazed at Alyssa in concern, but simply said: "see you there, I hope," softly and walking back over to Leyla.

Alyssa nodded, keeping her smile in place but said nothing. She watched Gennie go back to Leyla and waved back before turning and heading towards the fields.

"Something's very wrong," Gennie said to Leyla softly and turned to wave at Alyssa.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa loved the girls but had wanted to avoid them, at least for a while whilst she was here. She headed resolutely for the fields the other side of where Declan and Katie lived, she didn't want to run into them: Declan reminded her too much of Jack.

A sigh left her as she made it to the footpath and she simply stood and looked at the vast expanse of green in front of her. She inhaled once before starting off down the narrow track.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Chris slipped out of bed carefully so as not to wake Shaz and went into the front room. He opened his cell phone and sent off a text to Lucy.

"Working tday-you?"

Lucy heard her phone beep and sat up from tying her shoes and read the text.

"Work with Blake tday," she sent back.

"Cmin early," Chris suggested.

"K," Lucy replied and put her phone away so she could go on her morning jog.

Chris went into the kitchen and double checked the calendar that Shaz had the day off. With any luck, he could get some time with Lucy. He wouldn't be able to "work late" tonight. He was pretty sure they were supposed to be going somewhere, but couldn't remember where. He flipped on the kettle and set about making himself a cup of tea.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Sammy tumbled out of bed and looked around his room. It was still dark and the house was quiet. He grabbed up his sleepy blanket that Molly had bought him when he was littler and dragged it with him to Alex and Gene's room. He pushed the door open cautiously and a smile spread over his face at the sound of his Dad's snores. He went around to the foot of the bed and then climbed onto the bottom of their bed. He looked at his parents, fast asleep and left his blanket on the floor as he crawled up the bed and settled himself in the gap between them. He felt a little squashed, but also warm, and safe. He was always happy when he was with his Dad and his Mum.

Gene grunted and cracked open his eyes.

"I see there's an intruder here," Gene teased as he caught sight of Sammy.

Alex opened her eyes briefly and smiled as she saw Sammy. She shuffled backwards a bit and shifted so that he could get comfortable in the bed with them before shutting her eyes again. She groaned when her mobile started to ring. She reached behind her blindly and grabbed her phone, pressing it to her ear.

"What?" she demanded, her tone radiating irritation.

Molly couldn't help but chuckle. "Morning, mother."

"Molls? What is it?" Alex growled out, ignoring how Sammy's head turned to her curiously at the mention of Molly's name.

"Well, Peter and I were wondering whether Mr. Rimmer was okay," she asked.

Alex frowned, rolling onto her back and shutting her eyes. "How the hell would I know?" she growled out.

Molly snorted. "Not you! Gene."

"Well why didn't you call him then!" Alex snapped back. She just wanted to curl back up and go back to sleep, not participate in some random conversation with Molly.

"Because he doesn't have a phone and both of you are too lazy to get out of bed to get the landline. You keep your mobile by your bed. So I rang you."

Alex groaned in response and thrust the phone at Gene. "For you," she mumbled as she rolled back onto her side and felt Sammy curl up against her. She moved her arms around him and kissed the top of his head as she closed her eyes again and listened to Gene on the phone to Molly.

Gene frowned at the phone, but took it.

"What?" he barked into it, the impact lessened by the fact that he wasn't fully awake yet, so he sounded merely petulant.

Molly smirked at Gene's tone.

"Morning," she sang down the phone to him, her tone turned serious. "Have you seen Mr. Rimmer lately?" she asked him curiously.

"No, I haven't. I have been very busy, lot going on," he told her. "Why? What's he done?"

"Well, I don't know whether you know about all the commotion that went on the other week in the pub, but Mr. Rimmer slept with someone else and we think Mrs. Rimmer may have left him. He wasn't at the End of Year Party last night and he's always there," she explained.

"Yes, I know about all that," Gene told her. Jack had been doing a lot of crying into various alcoholic beverages all week. His brow furrowed as Molly finished. "Not at the party, hmmm," he murmured. That was unusual. He hadn't seen Jack since….Thursday? "Right, I'll stop in and check on him. Is that all that you have to call this early in the morning for?" he grouched and snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Alex before flopping back on his pillow.

"Go make us some tea, woman," he growled at Alex and looked at Sammy. "What are you going to do today while I'm at work?" he asked him.

Alex scowled at him but pulled herself from the bed and glared at him as he went out of the bedroom.

Sammy looked up at his Dad as he pulled his Mum's half of the duvet closer around him.

"Molly got me a book. It's called Horrid Henry. Mum said she would read that with me," he told Gene.

"You're not horrid enough you need a book to tell you?" Gene teased him.

"Look what I got us," he told Sammy and reached into the bedside drawer. "City versus United, next weekend," he said and grinned. "You and I, Sammy, make a weekend of it. We might let your Mum come along, if she's good."

Sammy's eyes lit up and he launched himself at his father, hugging him tightly.

"Yes!" he laughed as he looked at the tickets happily. "Does that mean we're goin to Manchester?" he asked curiously.

"Of course it means we're going to Manchester. And we'll go overnight and stay in a hotel and eat what we want without your Mum looking at us and making that face when she disapproves," Gene told him and tried to imitate Alex's expression.

Sammy bit his lip as he looked at Gene then started laughing, attempting to pull his Mum's disapproving face himself.

"When?" he asked excitedly.

"Next weekend," said Gene. "We'll leave Friday night and stay over and then the match is on Saturday."  
>He looked around Sammy at the doorway. "That tea is taking a long time."<p>

Sammy looked over his shoulder and went silent to listen for his mother. He shrugged and tumbled off the bed. He looked over at Gene as he made his way towards the door and almost walked into Alex as she came back holding two mugs. She looked down at him, amusement plastered over her face and she passed him to hand Gene his mug. Sammy made his way back over to his parents and clambered back up onto the bed as Alex settled herself and sipped at her coffee.

"Mummy!" Sammy exclaimed as he settled himself in the middle of them again. "Daddy has tickets!" he told her excitedly.

Alex looked at Gene. "Tickets?" she asked him, eyebrows raised.

"City and United match next Saturday," Gene told her. "Just us boys. We're going to stay over in Manchester Friday night and then go to the match on Saturday."

He grinned at Alex and picked up his tea.

Alex looked from Gene's grinning expression to Sammy's excited little face and nodded.

"Good, gives me a couple of days to do as I please," she smiled at them and ruffled Sammy's hair as she took a sip of her coffee.

Gene's eyebrows flew up. He was sure she would complain and want to go along with them. He gave a half-shrug and picked up his tea.

"Suppose I should get ready to go to the station," he said and drained half his tea.

Alex nodded at him.

"Suppose you should, yeah," she commented as she sat comfortably. Sammy looked at Alex hopefully.

"Can I watch TV?" he asked her and she nodded. A smile formed on her lips as he scrambled off the bed again and dashed out of the room.

Gene frowned and climbed out of bed. Why was Alex being all...agreeable? He snorted and headed for the bathroom to get ready.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Chris went into the bathroom with his tea and took a quick shower. He crept around as quietly as he could and got dressed and slipped out of the flat. He grinned. He hadn't thought he would manage it. He set off towards the station at a brisk walk. He pulled his phone out and sent off a text to Lucy and smiled at the response. He looked around quickly to make sure no one was around and then hurried to the interview room Lucy had said she was in. He slipped inside and carefully locked the door behind him. He remembered too well what had happened to Ray and Rowan.

Lucy stood up and walked over to him. She still thought they shouldn't do this, but she was beyond doing what her brain was telling her. She wound an arm around his neck and plastered her lips to his.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Ffion finished cleaning up the bathroom and then went and tidied up her bedroom before checking over the tidiness of the rest of the cottage. She pretty much kept to her room so she wouldn't have to do a lot of cleaning and there was plenty of food in the fridge, so Alyssa should have no complaints.

She quickly pulled on some decent jeans and a top and headed for the café. She still flirted with Bob outrageously, but he remained steadfastly resistant to her. She sometimes wondered if she was falling for him, but having never fallen for anyone, she couldn't be certain. She did know the time she'd spent here she'd actually been involved with very few men. There had been Carl until he'd gone back to Chastity and she'd been with Rodney a few more times and she'd had a couple of forgettable one-night stands in town and she'd recently taken up with Cain. For Ffion, that was practically celibate.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled cheerfully as she entered the café. She pulled on her apron and wondered idly what Alyssa was doing here, and without Jack.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Chris rested his forehead against Lucy's as they sagged against the wall.

"I need to meet up with Blake, better tidy myself up first," she told him. She brushed her lips against his. "I'll see you when I see you," she said as he stepped back.

"Maybe we can work something out tomorrow. Shaz works but it's my day off, you could come round mine," he suggested.

"But won't you have your daughter?"

"She takes a nap in the afternoon," he replied.

"I'll see," she said noncommittally and straightened her clothes before quickly leaving the interview room and heading for the loos to make sure she wasn't too disheveled.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Whitney sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"So, we've had a fry up, what now?" she asked him. "I've got three hours before I have to open the shop. Are you working today?"

Bolton nodded; his mood was improved after eating and his hangover steadily fading. All in all he felt good.

"Yeah, I'm in all afternoon," he told her as he sat back and stretched.

"Want to come spend the day around mine, instead? I could use a guy's opinion on some ideas I have," she said. "I've bought you breakfast," she added and smiled widely at him.

Bolton heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. "Fine," he told her in a tone of resignation, then grinned at her and took her hand. "Come on," he said.

Whitney tightened her hand in his and gave Jane a quick wave as she and Bolton left the café and headed for the shop.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Lauren rolled over and sat up and grabbed her head. She needed to find something for this pain! She stood up and fidgeted with her clothes before creeping out of Charlie's bedroom and heading for the kitchen. She was relieved to see a bottle of painkillers someone had left out on the counter. She looked at the unconscious bodies on the floor and noted that Whitney and Bolton were gone. She yawned hugely and filled the kettle and switched it on. She could hear voices from Molly and Peter's room, clearly they were awake. She went around the room and began waking everyone up. It was getting towards the time Molly and Peter surely wouldn't want a lot of passed out people all over their flat. At least by this time, Jane would be at the café and wouldn't notice all the hungover people leaving.

She went back into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea and watched her friends come to life. She couldn't help but chuckle, watching them move and groan, it was like a zombie movie come to life in the front room.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Claire and Denis froze in their room and looked at each other.

"Daddy's up," Claire whispered and Denis nodded.

"Hide?" Denis suggested and Claire quickly crept across the room and wedged herself into the corner behind the dresser. Denis frowned and then walked as quietly as he could and ducked behind the toy box.

Ray climbed the steps to the twins' room and peered inside. He smirked to himself as he pulled himself up properly and looked around. Problem with little kids was there were too many places they could squeeze into to hide.

"Hmmmm..." he said "Where've you got to you pair of troublemakers?" he wondered aloud as he looked around. He walked over to their beds and pulled the covers off dramatically.

"HA!" he announced then made an overly loud confused noise when he saw that the twins were not in their beds.

"Hmmmmm."

Claire put her hand over her mouth to stop herself giggling. She put her head on the floor and peered under the dresser to watch her father's feet as he walked around. Denis huddled behind the toy box. He knew Claire could see a bit of what was going on, but he couldn't. He bit his lip and watched for his father's shadow to fall over him.

Ray suddenly leant down and picked Denis up off the floor and tossed him onto the bed. He grinned down at his son and tickled him.

"Gotcha," he said and leaned close.

"Now, tell me where your sister is or I'll tickle you some more," he threatened lightly.

Denis shrieked as his father caught him and squirmed to get away, his giggles from being tickled making it difficult.

He looked at Ray and shook his head. "I'll never tell," Denis vowed and clapped his hands over his mouth and looked at his father stubbornly and shook his head. Claire smirked. Denis would never tell where she was. She peered under the dresser again and saw her father's feet still by Denis' bed. She carefully and quietly squeezed out from behind the dresser and crept across the floor and up behind her father.

"BOO!" she yelled as loud as she could and smacked his leg with her hands.

Ray let go of Denis for a moment as he whipped around and grabbed Claire up from the floor and threw her down onto the bed next to her brother. He placed a hand on each of their stomachs to stop them from escaping and let out a bark of laughter

"Now I have both of you in my clutches!" he exclaimed with a grin

"Who gets tickled first..." he wondered as he smiled fondly down at his kids.

The twins gazed at their father a moment and then both screamed and began to try and get away.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Rowan listened to the shrieks and giggles drifting into the kitchen from upstairs as she cooked breakfast. She looked at the clock and quickly went to get her cell phone. She texted Syed, Charlie, and Mercy that she wasn't going to open the restaurant and then went back to her cooking. At least they wouldn't show up and wonder what was going on and it was early enough they had time to make other plans.

Rowan plated up the food and put it on the table. She walked to the foot of the stairs and couldn't help but smile at the laughter.

"Breakfast is ready. Any chance you could stop torturing the children so they can eat?" she called up and turned and went back into the kitchen.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Katie finished mucking out the horses and washed her hands after putting away the wheelbarrow and the spade. She wandered back into the house and smiled briefly at Declan as she wandered upstairs to go and get changed. Declan and herself had got together officially shortly after Ella had left, and had got married soon afterward; Katie had kept her job, not that she needed to work as the amount of money that Declan made was more than enough for both of them to live comfortably. But she loved her job and liked the feeling of being at least a little independent.

Katie came back downstairs and went to the kitchen and made herself a mug of coffee. Getting up at 5am to sort the horses out meant skipping breakfast until she was done. So, coffee and toast. She spread a layer of butter on the toast then ate it as she made a mug of tea for Declan. The sight of her phone caught her eye and she picked it up from where she had left it on the counter before she'd gone outside. A smile lit her face, she grabbed Declan's mug and went through the house.

"Gennie says that Alyssa's here," she announced as she came into the office and set his mug on the coaster on his desk.

Declan looked up.

"What, by herself?" he asked her. "That's a bit odd," he said and picked up his tea and took a sip. He reached over and took her hand. "I suppose we should go into town later, or are just you girls getting together?" he wanted to know.

Katie looked back at the text. "Apparently, Gennie's said nothing about Jack," she told him with a small shrug.

She smiled. "I don't know, but you'll be going to the pub anyway," she told him. "No doubt we'll be in there if we decide to have a girly get-together."

"And what makes you think I'll be going to the pub anyway?" he asked her and jerked on her hand to pull her to him. He sat her on his lap. "If there's girly stuff going on I don't think I want to be there," he added.

"You always finish the day with a trip to the pub," she pointed out to him as she settled herself comfortably on his lap.

"Suppose I should call Jack and see what's going on," he said with a sigh and took another drink of his tea. He sniffed. "I assume you're not going to go smelling of horse," he remarked.

Katie pulled a face at him. "You're lucky I got changed!" she told him. "I could be wearing my jodhpurs and at the moment they are in dire need of a wash," she explained with raised eyebrows.

Declan squeezed her and then grinned as he tugged the end of her ponytail.

"That's not all in dire need of a wash. Hope you shower before you go to town," he joked and ducked to keep her from hitting him.

Katie glared at him.

"You're lucky I didn't come in here straight from the stables, your lap would have horse crap on it," she informed him, her eyebrows raised.

Katie smiled sweetly at him before hopping off his lap and pulling a face over her shoulder as she retreated back upstairs.

Declan chuckled as he watched Katie leave. He'd gotten over Alyssa a long time ago; in fact, she'd been a bridesmaid at Katie's wedding, since he would have no one but Jack as his best man. He'd glad they'd become friends. He wondered if he shouldn't try again to talk them into moving here permanently. He was trying his best to look after Ella's salon in town. She hadn't got much custom in the village so Bob had expanded the café when she'd moved to a premises in town. He was sure Jack could find work at a nearby school. He picked up the phone and tried to call Jack. He frowned as the phone rang out and tried again. Still no answer. That was strange. Alyssa here alone and Jack not answering his phone. Declan shook his head. Jack could easily be in the shower or unable to hear his phone ringing. Best not make too much out of it. He'd try again in a bit, when he finished these bookings.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Lauren nodded to herself and went back into Charlie's room with a mug of tea for him.

"Thanks," he said to her.

"How's your head?"

"Fine, actually, I didn't drink all that much last night," he told her. "Sounds like a lot of unhappy people out there."

Lauren nodded and sat down.

She took a sip of her tea and looked at him over the rim of her mug.

"You know we're going to have to get married now," she said blandly and he looked at her in shock.

"Yeah, we spent last night together; my dad is going to expect you to marry me now."

Charlie's mouth worked, but no sound came out. Lauren waited a moment and then finally burst into laughter.

"Only joking," she said and Charlie sagged with relief.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Molly put her phone back on the table and snuggled back down next to Peter.

"My parents are grumpy in the morning," she yawned.

"Aren't we all?" Peter remarked. "Speaking of grumpy, I think people are waking up out there. S'pose I should see about putting together something to eat, if anybody's eating," he said with a sigh and slid from the bed. He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and stumped from the bedroom and looked at everyone stumbling around the front room.

"Morning," he greeted blandly and went into the kitchen to inventory what he had to cook.

Lauren came out of the bedroom, Charlie on her heels and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Pete," she said. "You making breakfast? I'd be fine with just some toast."

"Yeah, me as well," Charlie added and pulled the bread out and begin to shove slices into the toaster.

"Go ahead, I'll cook for anyone who can eat, though," Peter offered and looked over at the others still staggering around in the front room.

"Anybody eating?" he called over and couldn't stop the smirk at the expressions of dismay his yell had caused.

"I'll make some more tea," Charlie offered and refilled the kettle.

"What a guy," Lauren said and Charlie smiled at her. "You really are terrible," he said and chuckled.

Lauren hopped up on the counter and grinned. "Yeah, I know, my friends all say so. Hasn't changed anything, though."

Charlie heard his phone beep and fished it out of his pocket.

"Huh, Rowan's not opening up today," he read out and looked at Lauren. "A Saturday off."

"Nice one," she said. "Why don't you take me to the pictures then."

"Suppose I could do that," he agreed. "What do you want to see?"

Lauren shrugged. "No idea, I'll have to see what's playing."

"Maybe Molly and I could go along?" Peter put in. "I could drive us."

"I don't mind," Charlie agreed.

"Sure," Lauren nodded.

Peter moved the pan from the heat and walked to the bedroom. "Fancy going to the pictures with Lauren and Charlie?"

Molly rolled over to look at him and nodded.

"When are they planning on going and what are we seeing?" she asked him as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. She glanced at the time and managed to get herself out of bed. She smiled at Peter.

"No idea, they're only just now discussing it," he told her. "But it seems Rowan's not opening today, so Charlie's got the day off and Lauren said they should go out."

He shrugged.

"If we're going out then I'm gonna get a shower," she told him as she grabbed her dressing gown and headed past him out of the bedroom. She eyed the clump of people rousing themselves and smiled at Lauren and Charlie.

"Morning," she called to them as she headed to the bathroom.

"I'm cooking breakfast, do you want anything?" he asked her as he followed her out of the bedroom.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Charlie buttered the toast while Lauren looked up showtimes on her phone.

"We could see 'Captain America' this afternoon," she suggested. Charlie raised his eyebrows at her.

"I like comics, got a problem with that?" she asked him and he shook his head.

"No, just didn't expect it," he grinned and handed her some toast. She turned to Peter as he came back into the kitchen.

"We're going to 'Captain America'," she told him and took a bite of the toast.

Molly looked back over her shoulder at Peter and gave him a hopeful look.

"Egg Fried Toast?" she asked him.

Peter nodded and began to cook some breakfast for Molly.

He looked at Lauren. "Not sure if I want to see that," he told her. "But I'll see if Molls want to go."

Lauren nodded and looked at Charlie.

"What time does it start?"

"Ummm, 1 o'clock," she told him.

"I can pay for a cab if they don't go," he told her.

"I should probably go home and get a shower," she said and finished off her toast. She jumped down off the counter and put her mug in the sink.

"See you later," she told him. "Bye, Pete," she said with a wave.

"Bye," Peter said.

Lauren pounded on the bathroom door. "Bye, Molls," she called through the door and giggled as she left.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Jack heard the landline downstairs start ringing again and ignored it. He counted the rings before they stopped as he stared at the ceiling and lit another cigarette.

/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Ray looked down at the hatch as he heard Rowan's voice and sighed. He turned back to the twins and grudgingly let them go.

"Saved by your Mam," he muttered as he watched them scramble away and hurry down the stairs. He chuckled to himself as he followed after them.

Rowan watched the twins come barrelling into the kitchen and climb into their seats. She sat down and smiled at Ray as he sat down across from her.

"So," she began as she picked up her fork. "Your father and I were thinking we could all go to Southend for the day."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Rowan said and smiled.

"Can we build sand castle?"

Ray grinned at the twins as he sat down and grabbed his plate towards him and tucked in.

"I'll find the buckets and spades, we'll take a rug, maybe a picnic," he suggested to them. "And we can go in the sea too if you'd like?" he told them.

"I think they can help you find things. I can easily make up a picnic," Rowan said.

"Yay!" the twins chorused and clapped.

"I guess the plan is approved of," Rowan remarked and began to eat.

Ray grinned at them and polished off his breakfast hungrily. He grabbed up his empty plate and dumped it in the sink.

"Right, I'm going to go and get ready, then dig out the beach stuff," he told the three of them before turning to go and get a shower.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Katie sat crossed legged on the bed and grabbed up her phone. She typed out a text to Gennie.

"Are we doing something tonight then? Coz Lyss is here?" she sent then climbed off the bed. She looked at herself briefly in the mirror and tied her now washed hair back up into a pony tail. She smiled slightly then headed back downstairs.

"Hope so. She seems upset tho," Gennie sent back.

"So, what's going on with Alyssa?" Gennie asked Ffion, who shrugged.

"I don't know. I know she's here without Jack. Not sure what happened. She took a chunk out of me though."

"We were hoping to get together with her."

Ffion shrugged again and Gennie frowned.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa found herself sitting underneath a tree in the middle of one of the fields that she had wondered into. She knew the seat of her jeans would be covered in mud and her back would probably have green stains from the moss off the tree where she was leaning but she was beyond caring about that. She just wanted the peace and quiet and serenity that surrounded her. She tilted her head back and looked through the canopy above her, catching small glimpses of the sky.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Molly yelled out a response to Lauren.

She climbed out of the shower, toweled herself dry then grabbed smaller towel and wrapped it around her head as she pulled her dressing gown back on and left the bathroom. She smiled briefly at Peter and Charlie, glad to see that everyone else had left, then made her way to her bedroom. She changed, but kept the smaller towel firmly placed on her head as she went back out.

"So, what film have you chosen?" she asked Charlie as she made herself another cup of tea and sat down.

Charlie looked up from picking cushions off the floor of the front room. "Well, Lauren said she wants to see Captain America."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to see that," Peter put in and placed Molly's breakfast in front of her. "But Lauren says it starts at 1 if you do want to go."

Molly shrugged. "I've got nothing else to do with my day, sure, I'll go and see it," she smiled.

"Okay, then, I'll drive," Peter said.

"I better go get ready," said Charlie and he got up and went to his bedroom to get some clean clothes before going to take a shower.

"Guess you better text Lauren that I'm driving," Peter told Molly and picked up the empty dishes and began to wash up.

Molly nodded and picked up her phone. She fired off a text to Lauren.

"We're coming too. P is driving :) x"

Lauren pulled her wet mass of hair back and picked up her phone. She read Molly's text and smiled.

"See you in a bit then," she sent back and went to get dressed. At least Whitney and Bolton were downstairs in the shop.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Katie frowned at the text back from Gennie and made her way back downstairs. She smiled at Nicola and said a brief good morning to her as she went and sat on the corner of Declan's desk. She put her phone down and looked at him

"Gennie thinks Alyssa is upset," she informed him and sighed "anything from Jack?" she asked him.

Declan put the phone down and looked up at Katie. He shook his head.

"I've tried his landline and his mobile, nothing," Declan told her. "I hate to say it, but that's not like him. No matter how busy he was, if he knew I was trying to get hold of him, he would call me or text me back."

Nicola tilted her head as she listened to Declan and Katie.

"Um, you know you could try someone else," she suggested.

Declan furrowed his brow and looked over at her. Nicola rolled her eyes.

"Well, obviously call someone that might know what's going on, like Rowan," she said, her tone slightly aggrieved. Declan looked up at Katie.

"Why don't you do that?" he said to Katie. "I don't have her number, though," he said.

"I do," Nicola offered, "you know…if you should need it."

Katie smiled at Nicola and nodded. "Great idea," she agreed and scrolled through her phone. She frowned slightly and looked back at Nicola.

"Can I borrow your phone for a sec to get Rowan's number?" she pleaded.

Katie smiled at Nicola as she copied Rowan's number into her phone and sent off a text

"What's going on with Alyssa and Jack? Katie."

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan finished her breakfast and sipped at her coffee as she watched the twins finish theirs.

"So what do you think we should take on this picnic?" she asked them.

"Butties!" Claire supplied.

"Crisps and cake," Denis added.

"I don't have any cake, but we've got some brownies."

Denis grinned and nodded.

Claire screwed her face up in thought and then finally looked at Rowan.

"Is there that stuff you make...you know...wid potatoes and other stuff?"

"You mean potato salad?" she asked and Claire nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"That too."

"Okay, I guess we have our menu for today. Let's get breakfast cleaned up and get started packing okay?"

The twins quickly climbed down and carried their plates to the sink and handed them to their mother.

"Thank you," she said and frowned when she heard her phone beep.

She picked it up and read the text. Of course, it would be Katie.

"Big fight. Long story. Lyss left to clear her head. Not sure about Jack," she sent back and sighed.

Ray quickly got himself ready. Rowan could sort out the picnic while he found the buckets and spades. He was sure that they were in the cupboard somewhere. He went down the hall and knelt down in front of the cupboard door; he pulled it open and began to dig. He emerged triumphantly with a bucket and spade in each hand and a picnic blanket under his arm. He put everything he was holding down on the sofa then went to tidy the cupboard up again. He looked around him then moved over to Rowan.

"What's in the picnic?" he asked her.

"Well, they want sandwiches and crisps and potato salad and brownies," Rowan listed off. "We should probably pick up some cold soda, too," she added.

"I've got everything ready, if you could just put it in the basket, I'll go get the twins cleaned up."

She reached down and grabbed a twin under each arm and took them into the bathroom.

Ray nodded agreeably and began carefully picking up all of the food that she had prepared and piling it into the basket. He folded up the picnic blanket and put that in there too. He picked up the basket and went downstairs to put it in the boot of the car with the buckets and spades. He grinned to himself then made his way back upstairs to wait for the twins to be ready to go.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Katie looked down at the reply text from Rowan and her face fell. She looked up at Declan.

"Jack and Alyssa have had a row. That's why she's here without him. Rowan says she's clearing her head," she explained to him with a sigh as she sat back down on the corner of his desk and forwarded Rowan's text to Gennie.

Gennie read the text and sighed. "Looks like Jack and Alyssa had a big fight," Gennie told Ffion.

"That's a shame," Ffion said. "I did wonder."

She glanced over at Bob and then back down at the counter she was wiping. Gennie smirked. She had known for a while that Ffion clearly had a thing for Bob. Bob was either unaware or trying his best not to notice.

She opened her phone again.

"Then we definitely need to go see her. She shouldn't be alone," Gennie sent back. She finished her cake and stood up. She gave Ffion and Bob a quick wave and headed out of the cafe, wondering once again if she should tell Bob.

Katie nodded at the text.

"I'll meet you in the café," she sent back then hopped off Declan's desk and gave him a kiss.

"I'll see you later," she told him as she grabbed her coat from the hook and left.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa pulled herself up from the ground and wandered idly back through the fields in the direction of the Village. She'd see what was in the house by way of food, then sit down with a tub of ice cream and a bottle of wine and put a movie on. She half-smiled at the thought and picked her way along the footpath until she could see the shapes of the cottages in the Village in front of her. She climbed over a style and landed on the road.

Alyssa made her way back through the village, barely looking around her as she went, her mind was firmly fixed on her plan for the afternoon.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Leyla saw Alyssa going back to the cottage.

"David, watch the shop, I've got to go see Lyss," she said and waddled across to the cottage as quickly as she could.

"Alright, Lyss," she called out.

Alyssa turned as she heard Leyla's voice. She waited patiently for her friend to catch up, swallowing the lump in her throat at the sight of Leyla's stomach. Her own pregnancy had been what had started this whole mess. She forced a smile onto her face.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm all right, big as a house," Leyla replied.

"So, do you feel up to getting together this after?" Leyla asked. "Maybe talk about whatever's wrong?"

Alyssa's eyebrows went up.

"I was going to have a quiet night in," she told Leyla as she glanced at the Cottage. She fought to keep her smile on her face. "What makes you think there's something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, come off it. You never come here alone, and you never have a quiet night in when you get here. We know there's summat wrong," Leyla pressed and folded her arms. She nodded in the direction of the café, she could see Gennie and Katie standing near it and talking.

"Let us be here for you, it's what mates are for."

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan put the twins' swimsuits on under their clothes and made sure they each had a towel. Then, she went and changed out of her jeans and put on a summer dress and sandals before going out into the front room.

"I think we're all ready," she announced and grabbed up her handbag.

"Got everything?" she asked Ray.

Ray looked down at himself, he'd put his swimming trunks on underneath his trousers in case the twins wanted him to come into the water with them. He was ready.

"Let's go," he smiled and held open the door for his family to go through. He locked it behind them and followed the three of them down to the car. He looked at Rowan and held up the keys.

"You driving? Or me?" he asked her as he watched the twins climb into the back of the car.

"You can drive," she said. "I'm not in the mood."

She got the twins secured in their seats and climbed in.

"Don't forget we need to stop by Jack and Alyssa's before we go. You can drop me off and take them to the Minute Mart to get some drinks for the picnic."

Ray nodded in at her and climbed into the front of the car behind the wheel. He turned around to look at the twins as Rowan climbed in next to him and made sure they were both strapped in safely.

"Right, here we go," he announced as he started the car and drove to Albert Square. Ray pulled up next to the kerb a little way away from Jack's house and looked at Rowan once before turning to the twins.

"We need to get some drinks, come on." he told them as he pocketed the car keys and waited for them to get out of the car. He locked it once Rowan was out and gave her one more glance before taking the twins' hands and walking them over to the shop.

"You can choose what you want," he told them as they went.

Gennie caught sight of Leyla and realized she was heading towards Alyssa, who had returned. Gennie quickly sat down at an outside table. She wouldn't go barging in just yet and she needed to wait for Katie.

Katie had decided to walk to the Village rather than taking one of the cars. It didn't take too long for her to reach the Cafe, she spotted Gennie outside and half ran over.

"Hey," she said. "You get my text?" she asked.

Gennie stood up and nodded. "Yeah, I talked to Ffion and she didn't know anything about it."

She gestured at Leyla talking to Alyssa. "I made sure Leyla knew, too."

Katie nodded as she took a seat at Gennie's table. She glanced over at Leyla and Alyssa and sighed.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Gene left the flat and headed for the station. He'd get things sorted at work and then look into what might be wrong with Jack.

Chris saw Gene come in and followed him to his office.

"What do you want, Skelton?"

"I just wanted to say I'm willing to take a few of those night shifts if Hale actually leaves," he replied.

Gene nodded. "I'll remember that."

"Thanks, Guv," Chris said and went back to his desk and pointedly ignored Ginger.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Lauren bounded downstairs and waved cheerfully at Whitney and Bolton .

"I'm going out with Molly, Peter and Charlie," she announced.

"Oh really?" Whitney asked.

"Yeah," Lauren replied happily.

"Good luck," Whitney said and grinned. Lauren winked and lifted her hand in a quick wave at Bolton before nearly bouncing out the door. Whitney looked at Bolton and giggled before smoothing her face.

"I just hope he's not messing her about."

Bolton watched Lauren go

"Well the guy lives with Molly and Peter, if he does anything to hurt Lauren then he's in for a rough time," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but he might not do it intentionally. He did move here with his girlfriend. They might be split up now, but there's always the chance they'll get back together. I don't think he's told Lauren he fancies her or anything, which is good."

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa glanced over there, too, and nodded, her smile falling.

"You better tell them to come in then," she said to Leyla as she pulled her keys from her pocket and opened the cottage. She looked at Gennie and Katie and jerked her head towards her front door.

Katie nodded and looked at Gennie. "Come on," she said as she stood up and headed over.

Leyla nodded and stepped into the cottage when she saw Gennie and Katie making their way over.

"I knew Leyla could do it," Gennie said and grinned at Katie as they walked.

Katie nodded with a small smile at Gennie as she reached the cottage and follow the three girls inside. She shut the door firmly behind her.

Alyssa moved straight for the kitchen. "Do you want a drink or anything? I don't know what we've got in..." she began as she started searching the cupboards. Katie shook her head and went over to Alyssa. She tugged on her arm then steered her back to the front room and pushed her to sit on the sofa.

"We want you to tell us what's got you so upset, and why you're up here on your own," she said and Alyssa sighed and looked at the three of them before pulling one of the cushions towards her and hugging it.

"The short story," Alyssa said as her chin resisted on the cushion. "I had an ectopic pregnancy, and Jack slept with someone else," she told them. "That's the really short version," she added glumly.

Gennie gaped and Leyla nearly stumbled as she was sitting down.

"You WHAT?" Leyla yelped.

"He never!" Gennie gasped.

Alyssa just looked up at them and nodded once in confirmation. Katie stroked Alyssa's arm and gave her a hug.

"You know what?" she asked as she pulled away. "What we need is a soppy film and a bottle of wine, and a tonne of chocolate," she said and Alyssa nodded quietly.

Katie looked at Leyla and smirked. "You'll have to stick with the soft drinks, Leyla," she said apologetically.

"Fine, as long as I can eat chocolate I'm happy," Leyla said.

"I still can't believe Jack slept with someone else," Gennie remarked as she went into the kitchen and emerged with a bottle of wine and three glasses.

Katie watched Gennie stand up and go into the kitchen. She looked at Alyssa.

"You pick a film and I'll go and get some chocolate," she smiled and Alyssa nodded then picked herself off the sofa and went over to the DVD rack. Katie grabbed up her purse and left the cottage. She ran quickly to the shop and picked out a couple of different chocolates and paid for them. She smiled and said a quick thank you to David before hurrying back to the cottage and put the chocolates on the coffee table.

"Right," she said as she looked around and saw Alyssa setting up the DVD and Leyla still in the kitchen. She smiled and pulled the wrapping off one of the boxes of chocolate and opened the box as Alyssa came back and joined her on the sofa.

Leyla struggled out of the chair after Gennie came back with wine for the other girls and went into the kitchen to get herself a drink while Katie left to get chocolate. She lumbered back into the front room as Katie sat down and leaned over to grab some chocolate.

"Are you okay healthwise, though?" Leyla asked Alyssa as she sat back down. "Cause they have to operate on you don't they?"

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, they did," she said. "I'm fine, it's just reduced my chances of getting pregnant again," she sighed and grabbed a chocolate from the box and nibbled on it for a moment before shoving it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and chewed it for a moment before opening her eyes and grabbing up the remote and turning on the TV. She set up the DVD and pressed play then grabbed her wine glass and took a large sip.

Leyla gave Gennie an awkward look, who passed it on to Katie. She wondered if this would do any good. Maybe they should be talking about Alyssa's problems; David was very into talking things out.

She sipped her orange juice and stayed silent, not really paying attention to the film.

Katie sighed and shrugged. This was how Alyssa wanted to spend her evening. She sipped her wine quietly.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan gave Ray a nod and a smile before turning to walk slowly towards the door. She narrowed her eyes a moment and the reached up and pounded on the door. She would knock first before using her key.

Jack blew out a plume of smoke and listened to the pounding on the door. Whoever it was would surely go away when he didn't answer. He took another drag off the cigarette.

Rowan sighed. Clearly Jack wasn't going to answer and she didn't want to waste any more time. She fished out the keys and quickly unlocked the door and went inside. The kitchen was a mess. She checked the refrigerator – empty. She shook her head and headed upstairs. She could faintly smell smoke and was surprised Jack would be smoking in the house. Jack and Alyssa's bedroom door was open and the room was empty, as was one of the spare rooms. She went to the room with the door shut and shoved it open, causing Jack to sit bolt upright, dumping the ashtray all over himself.

"What the bloody hell…" he yelped and then saw it was Rowan, and her expression did not look happy.

"What are you doing to yourself, Jack?" she asked him. "How exactly do you think this is going to solve yours and Alyssa's problem? This place is frankly revolting and the state of you…I can smell you from here!"

"Alyssa's gone; I can do as I please."

"So, you don't care that she's gone then?"

"Of course I bloody care, but she's the one that left. I can only say I'm sorry so many times! She refuses to see my side of anything at all."

"You slept with someone else."

"I was drunk and I thought she'd left me. I hardly planned it and I certainly don't intend it to happen again, but she…." he trailed off and huffed out a breath. "Never mind. It doesn't matter clearly. She's gone and nothing I ever do will bring her back. I might as well start getting ready to sign divorce papers."

"Jack," Rowan said, gentling her tone. "I don't think it's gone quite that far. At any rate, she's just trying to clear her head."

"So am I, so I'll thank you to leave me to it," he snapped.

"I don't think it's your head that needs clearing," she told him and wrinkled her nose. He frowned. "I don't have anyone to impress now, so why bother?

"Get up and get this place cleaned up, now. Or do I need to get Ray in here to make you do it? He's taken the twins to get drinks, we're going to Southend today for a picnic, but I'll text him right now and you will do it one way or another," she threatened.

Jack knocked the ashtray aside and climbed off the bed.

"Just get out and leave me alone," he growled and pushed her out the door of the bedroom, slammed it and locked it. Rowan let out a grunt as she hit the wall and frowned as the door slammed. She frowned at the door, but stalked downstairs. More force was needed than Rowan could bring to bear. Gene was Jack's best mate, he could sort this out. She locked the front door behind her and began to walk towards the Minute Mart, dialing the number to the station as she walked.


	11. Chapter 11

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 11**

Gene glared at his ringing phone and picked it up.

"Hunt," he barked.

"Mr. Hunt, you need to go and sort Jack Rimmer out right now. The house and the man are in a complete mess. He pushed me out, but he can't you. I find it hard to have much sympathy for him being on Alyssa's side the way I am. I'll drop the keys off with you, just make sure I get them back," she told him.

Gene sighed. Another person telling him to see about Jack, one though, who seemed to know what she was talking about. It seemed Jack was in trouble.

"Fine. I'll be out front waiting," Gene said and put the receiver down.

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Rowan walked over to Ray and seeing the twins were picking fizzy drinks, grabbed several bottles of water.

Ray looked up as he spotted Rowan walk into the shop and left the twins by the refrigerator choosing their drinks and raised his eyebrows at her.

"How'd it go?" he asked her quietly, then noticed the phone pressed to her ear. He gave her a curious look and turned back to the twins to make sure they weren't arguing over anything.

"Jack is a mess. I just called Gene and told him to go take care of it. If I wasn't still so disgusted by Jack's behavior I'd say let's go back and do it, but I'm just too angry," she told Ray.

Ray nodded at her and herded the twins to the checkout. He paid for their drinks and the water then watched them dash back to the car. He caught Rowan into a hug and kept one eye on the twins. "Just, stop thinking about it for today," he advised. "We'll have a glorious day out at the seaside with our kids, come home and do whatever," he told her and caught her lips in a brief kiss.

"Okay?" he smiled at her. Rowan nodded.

Ray took her hand in his empty one and walked her back to the car. "You can worry about Jack and Alyssa later, you can't solve everyone's problems, Ro," he told her as he opened the car for the Twins and let them climb inside.

"I know, but they're family so I have to make some effort," she told him in a reasonable tone, though inside she was still fuming at Jack. She fastened the twins in their seats again and climbed into the car.

"Let's go and have some fun," she ordered and winked at the twins, who giggled.

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Lauren hurriedly pressed the buzzer when she got to Molly and Peter's flat. She didn't see Annie lurking across the road, watching out for Charlie.

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Molly stuffed her arms into her cardigan and rushed to get the door.

"Hey, Lauren, come on up," she said into the handset.

Molly put the phone down and looked at Peter and Charlie. "Lauren's here," she announced and went to take the door off the latch so Lauren could get in.

Lauren bounded up the stairs and walked into the flat.

"I got out of there just in time. Do you know Whitney went and hired Jodie's friend Poppy to work at the shop, too? She'll go insane, if she's not already there," Lauren told them.

Molly groaned. "I can't sit around those two without wanting to bash my head on the table. I don't know how Darren puts up with it."

Lauren nodded. "I know. I don't know what possessed her to do that. Though, I guess she will be in the workroom a lot and won't have to listen to it."

She clasped her hands and sighed.

"So, should we get an early lunch?" she suggested.

Peter shrugged and looked at Molly.

"Sounds okay to me," Charlie agreed.

"She was probably desperate for help, now she's going to get massive orders coming in" Molly said.

Molly shrugged and nodded at Peter.

"Well, let's go then," Peter said and jingled his car keys. "We can go to that Chinese place by the cinema," he suggested and he walked out the door.

"I could definitely go for some Chinese," Lauren said, imitating Poppy. "Couldn't you go for some Chinese, Molly?"

She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand.

Molly laughed as she caught on. "Oh yeah, Lauren, I could so go for some Chinese," she said imitating Jodie's voice as well as she could.

Lauren began to laugh again and took Molly's arm as they left the flat.

"Whit brought it on herself. We'll remind her of that if she complains."

Molly nodded at Lauren "She'll start finding excuses to leave the shop soon enough, I know I'd have to with that pair in there all the time. Just one of them is bad enough but when you have the two of them together..." Molly shook her head and pulled a face.

"Yeah, well, she might not hear them much over the noise of machines going," Lauren said.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Annie watched Charlie emerge from the building and hurried over.

"Charlie, got a minute?"

Charlie looked at her, then at his friends, then back at her.

"One minute," he said to her and looked at the others before stepping aside with her.

"What do you want, Annie?"

"I want to try again. I still love you, Charlie, I do."

Charlie sighed. "I don't know, Annie. How can I trust you after what you did?"

Annie shrugged. "Just give me a chance? How can I prove anything if you won't let me?"

Charlie looked down. She was right. "I'll think about it. Maybe we can sit down and have a chat when I get back."

Annie looked at the others and then back at Charlie and nodded. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it between both of hers before walking off towards home.

Charlie turned and walked back over to the car. "Sorry about that," he said and climbed in the back.

Lauren looked at Molly and then climbed in the back with him. She had a sinking feeling she was going to lose Charlie before she'd got a fair chance at him.

Molly squeezed Lauren's hand as she watched Charlie talk to Annie then got in the front of the car with Peter. She knew that Lauren would be crushed if Charlie got back with Annie. She looked at Lauren's face through the mirror in the car and sighed. She hoped Charlie wouldn't go back to Annie.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

Bolton shrugged. "At least he hasn't told her that he likes her, she's less likely to get hurt if it turns out he doesn't like her."

Whitney nodded and looked at the clock.

"Well, Jodie and her mate Poppy should be here soon. If I'm going to be supervising more people, Jodie's going to need some help, especially getting the orders from the website," she told him and went to look at the workroom. She put her hands on her hips and smiled in satisfaction.

"I really hope this works out."

"They're good with fashion and clothes and stuff right?" Bolton asked "Then they'll be fine" he assured her

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\

"I'm _so_ glad I'm not that hung over," Jodie remarked as she and Poppy reached the High Street. "I'm not sure I could face being at work. Poor Darren, he's in bad shape," she added sadly.

"I'm so glad I'm not hung over," Poppy commented, her expression serious and slightly relieved, she turned to Jodie, eyes wide. "Did you see Darren, though, he was in bad shape," she commented with a sincere nod of her head.

"But you hardly ever get hung over, Pops," Jodie said back and checked her hair in a window as they passed. "I feel so bad for Darren when he's like that, I really do," Jodie agreed with a nod. She wrapped her arm around Poppy's.

"And I never get hungover, Jodes," Poppy told her with a smile.

"You know, Pops, I'm so glad Whitney hired you to work in the shop, too, this is going to be so brilliant!" she said and let out a giggle.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Poppy agreed with an excited giggle.

"And you're so good with fashion, Pops, you have _such_ great taste, I envy you," Jodie told her.

"I am good with fashion, Jodes," Poppy agreed. "But your wardrobe is so fantastically fashionable," she gushed earnestly.

"It is, yes," Jodie agreed. "But you find the most amazing things."

She opened the door to the shop and held it for Poppy to go through and followed her in.

"Hi, Whitney, we're here!" Jodie called out. "I always let her know when I get here, she just lives upstairs you know."

"Yeah, but you haven't been around the pair of them much," Whitney told him. "Just wait, you'll see."

She heard Jodie call out and poked her head around the door.

"Hey, Jodie, good to see you, and you, Poppy," Whitney greeted them.

Poppy nodded along with Jodie and looked around the shop.

"Oh Jodes! The stuff in here is so gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she twirled to take in everything.

"Hi Whit," Poppy said. "The stuff in here is so beautiful," she gushed.

Bolton poked his head around the door after Whitney and smiled at the two pretty girls standing in the shop. He knew Jodie; of course, she was usually there when he came to see Whitney.

"Thank you," Whitney said to Poppy.

"I know, I've actually talked Mum into buying a few of Whitney's designs, haven't I, Whit?"

Whitney nodded. "Yes, you have."

"Are you decent at all with computers, Poppy? It's just, I have a website that people can order things from."

"Oh, yes, Pops knows the internet," Jodie told Whitney. She walked over to the counter.

"All recovered from the party last night then?" she asked Bolton. "My Darren is soo unbelievably hung over."

Poppy nodded. "Oh yeah, I know the internet". A thought occurred to her and she turned to Jodie.

"You know Clara? Works in that shop, well, she met this bloke on the internet, properly sweet. They just started talking and that, you know, with email, and then one day they met up and now they're like properly together," Poppy said, a misty look in her eyes. "How romantic is that!" she sighed.

Bolton nodded at Jodie. "Not bad thanks, amazing what a fry up can do for you."

"Oh," Jodie exclaimed and her expression went dreamy as she clasped her hands together. "That is sooo romantic I can hardly stand it," Jodie told her, as she turned from Bolton, ignoring his reply. "I get proper choked up when I hear stories like that," Jodie continued, waving her hand in front of her face. "Reminds me of my Darren," she sighed and sniffed.

Whitney rolled her lips under her teeth and looked at Bolton again as she tried not to laugh. She moved closer to Bolton and looked at him.

Bolton gave Whitney a disbelieving look and his mouth fell open slightly as he gaped at Jodie and Poppy.

"Tell you who it reminds me of Jodes, reminds me of you and your Darren," Poppy sighed.

"Except Darren and I didn't meet on the internet," she reminded Poppy. "But it's romantic like that," she smiled blissfully. "You know, Pops, you should go and meet someone on that internet," Jodie stated with a sharp nod of her head. "You could meet…'the One'."

Poppy's eyes widened. "You know I could, couldn't I!" she exclaimed. "Mind you Jode, I'd have to be careful and that…" she leaned towards Jodie and lowered her voice to a loud whisper. "You get some odd people on there, like when Clara went to meet David, I told her, I said make sure you take someone with you," she said wisely with a nod of her head. "Cause you never know, do you, you just never know."

Bolton's eyes widened further and he reached out and grabbed Whitney's arm, pulling her closer to him so he could talk to her without Jodie and Poppy hearing him. "You aren't serious, you're going to suffer some kind of mental affliction with those two here all the time!" he told her quietly.

"Yes, you do need to be careful cause you never know, do you," Jodie agreed and nodded sagely. "I would have to go with you, if you were going to go meet someone, make sure he wasn't some really strange person, you know, like, a stranger."

Whitney smirked. "I'll be in the back most of the time, won't I?" she said, keeping her voice low and trying hard to fight her laughter.

Bolton shook his head in disbelief. "You'll go mental if you have to listen to that all day. They're not even saying anything, it barely classifies as a conversation!" he told her trying to keep his voice low.

"Well of course you'd have to come with me Jodes, can't go on my own, what if he's a stranger!" Poppy exclaimed, anxiety creeping into her voice. She sighed and expression went wistful. "I wish I had someone like your Darren, though."

"We'll find you someone like my Darren, Pops, I promise," Jodie told her sincerely. "I love you, Pops," she added and pulled Poppy into a hug.

"Oh! I love you, too Jodes," Poppy said, sniffing slighty as she started to tear up. She put her arms around Jodie's neck and hugged her tightly for a moment. "Thanks, Jode" she sniffed as she pulled away.

Jodie squeezed Poppy back and then patted Poppy's shoulder again.

"Now, let's do something about that window, okay?" Jodie suggested and gave Poppy a tearful, but cheerful smile.

Whitney looked at Bolton and turned to go back into the workroom, still fighting laughter.

Poppy nodded and carefully wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, let's do something about that window," she agreed.

Bolton watched Whitney go and then looked back at Jodie and Poppy. He would not be spending any more time around those two. He followed Whitney into the workroom, bewilderment fixed on his face.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Gene drove to Jack and Alyssa's house. He had thought about walking, but if he needed to do something drastic, he might need the car.

He flipped through the keys and let himself into the house and marched up to the bedroom where Rowan had told him Jack was holed up. He quietly tried the door handle. Locked. He grinned and raised his booted foot and kicked the door in, startling Jack into dumping the ashtray once again and nearly falling off the bed.

Gene strode over and grabbed Jack up by his collar, his nose wrinkled.

"Rowan was right about you. I think you need a wash," Gene said and hauled Jack to the bathroom, Jack so stunned he hadn't even thought to fight back, but struggled along as Gene dragged him.

Gene shoved Jack unceremoniously in the shower and turned on the water. Jack spluttered and protested and tried to get out, Gene shoved him back and opened a bottle of shampoo and dumped it over him.

"Now, you get yourself cleaned up and then you're going to clean up the rest of this mess and then you and I are going to have a little chat, or do you need locking up?" he threatened.

Jack peered at Gene through the streams of foam sliding down his face.

"Arrest me for what?" he said and spat bubbles from his mouth.

"Well, I could convince Rowan to press charges for the way you pushed her. That's assault, that is."

Jack shook his head, sending water and bubbles everywhere. Gene frowned and stepped back.

"Fine," Jack snarled and began to pull his clothes off and drop them to the bathroom floor in a sodden mess. Gene prudently turned his back and left the bathroom. He leaned against the wall and grinned to himself.

Jack finished in the shower and admittedly felt a little better, though he was still angry at Rowan and Gene for interrupting his sulk. He slung a towel around his waist and went into the bedroom to get clean clothes.

Gene peered at him through narrow eyes as Jack came back out of the bedroom. "Now, get this place cleaned up. I'll be outside. And don't ask for any help, cause I don't intend on giving it."

Jack shook his head and went into the spare room and began to clean up the mess from the ashtray. The only other messy place was the kitchen. He'd stopped bothering to go in there two days ago? He couldn't remember. He realized vaguely that he was hungry. He was pretty sure there was no food in the house. He finished cleaning up and then wadded up the duvet to carry downstairs. The cover would have to be washed.

He glanced out the window in the back door and saw Gene standing in the back garden, sitting in a chair and smoking. Jack grimaced at the dirty dishes everywhere and set to gathering everything up and getting it washed. Gene came back inside as Jack was stacking the last freshly-washed dish next to the sink.

"Good boy," Gene said and patted Jack on the head. "I'll see myself out then."

Gene turned on his heel and left. Jack was up and he was clean and his house was clean, if he needed any 'talking' sort of help, Gene was in no mood for it.

Jack watched Gene go and then turned and opened the fridge. Empty. He was going to have to go and get something to eat. He grabbed up his house keys, shoved them in his pocket and headed for the pub.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Leyla looked at Alyssa when the film ended.

"Right, now you tell us what is going on, all of it," she insisted. "We are your mates and we are not leaving until you do."

Gennie nodded. "Yeah, not going anywhere."

Alyssa looked at them, knowing she was outnumbered. They weren't going to give up until she told them so she might as well get it over with.

"Okay," she said and launched into the events of the past week, from finding out she was pregnant to why she was here in the Village instead of Walford.

"Oh, Lyss," Leyla said and scooted forward in her chair.

Gennie put an arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

"But...but he thought you left him, I mean...you know...summat like that...really hurts don't it?" Gennie said. She had slight personal experience with this when Bob thought Viv was finished with him, causing him to end up in bed with Gennie. "I'm not saying it's a good reason, but..." Gennie trailed off. She knew she was supposed to be on Alyssa's side, but from what she heard; Jack must have thought Alyssa was through with him. She wondered if Alyssa knew that.

Leyla looked at Gennie and then back at Alyssa. "What you gonna do?"

Alyssa looked at Gennie for a moment then looked at Leyla and shrugged. "I don't know, that's kinda the reason I'm up here," she said. "I'm trying to clear my head and work out what I want to do."

"Do you love him?" Katie asked suddenly and Alyssa looked at her sharply.

"Of course I do! I wouldn't feel this angry and betrayed and upset if I didn't love him," she snapped back moodily.

Katie raised her eyebrows. "Well he's apologised, he's even gone so far as to buy you a gift Alyssa," she pointed out.

"A gift!" Alyssa said with a sarcastic laugh. "He can't expect me to forgive him because he bought me a present! I'm not 5."

"No, but he's trying, it's part of the whole...groveling process," Leyla explained and looked at Katie, then at Gennie.

"Yeah, I'll bet it's something you really, really want," Gennie added.

Alyssa snorted. "Grovelling process," she repeated incredulously.

She looked over at Gennie and shook her head. "That's exactly what he said, but it's not the point," she told them and shook her head.

"So, if um...if you do divorce Jack, where will you go? Are you going to stay here or go back to London…" Leyla trailed off.

"Surely it won't come to that," Gennie put in.

Alyssa looked up at Leyla in shock. Divorce? She wasn't sure she wanted to divorce Jack. That wasn't her intention at all. She cradled her glass and looked at Gennie.

"I don't want that," she murmured and Katie frowned slightly.

"Then why are you here?" she asked and Alyssa looked up.

"What?"

"If you're not going to divorce him, and he's apologised then it's clear that he doesn't want to divorce you...why are you here?"

"Apologize," Leyla blurted. "I think he's gone a bit farther than that."

"I'm angry, I'm trying to calm down, figure out what I want," Alyssa said.

"Well it's clear that you want him if you're adamant that you don't want a divorce," Katie pointed out.

Gennie nodded. "I think Katie's right," Gennie said and took a sip of her wine. "Is it just that you want to make him suffer, because I think you've done that."

"I'm all for making them suffer, right," said Leyla, "but I've been on the receiving end so I can say it's not fun."

Katie looked at Leyla and Gennie and nodded in agreement before turning to Alyssa expectantly.

"You see," she said.

Alyssa frowned. "See what?"

"See that you're only hurting yourself and Jack by forcing him to stay away from you."

Alyssa shook her head "No, I'm trying to calm down," she told them.

"But Lyss, you are hurting yourself," Gennie said in a soft voice and took Alyssa's hand.

"I've done some pretty stupid things in my time, but David forgave me and we moved on. It made us stronger. I don't know how long you want to draw this out, Lyss, but the longer it goes on the worse it gets. If he went and got falling down drunk and slept with someone else because you walked out...well...he thought you walked out...what do you think is going to happen if he really thinks you're leaving him for good?" Leyla advised.

Gennie gasped. "She's got a point," she agreed and looked at Katie.

Alyssa's head shot up in alarm. What Leyla said made sense, but surely he wouldn't! He wouldn't! She shook her head fiercely.

"No," she insisted. "He wouldn't."

Katie looked at Leyla and Gennie then back at Alyssa, she took her hand and squeezed it. "But he might Lyss, if you keep pushing him away, then he will eventually give up," she said gently.

Leyla nodded and gestured at Katie and Gennie. "You two remember what David was like, after all that stuff with Jakey and I left. It took forever to sort things out when I came back. David went to pieces. I was almost gone too long. Take my advice, Lyss, go ahead and stay tonight. Maybe call people who know him to make sure he's okay, but go home tomorrow or have him come here. Draw a line under it and start again, trust me," Leyla insisted, her face twisted slightly in pain.

Alyssa nodded slowly at Leyla. "How did you know to go back?" she asked quietly.

"I loved David; I knew I were willing to do anything I had to do to convince him of that, to get him to take me back. So I went back. It was the only way I would be able to convince him how I felt. I had to do it face to face. It took ages, and it was hard, but I didn't give up. I knew if I did, I'd lose him forever. If you, you know, don't want to end things with Jack, then at least show him there's a chance. Make him talk to you and convince you if you feel that you need him to, but don't let him think there's no chance, or he won't try, he'll just go."

"Okay," Alyssa agreed.

Katie looked around at all the gloomy expressions and went into the kitchen and brought the bottle out. She filled everyone's glasses then opened the next box of chocolates and handed them to Leyla first.

"Ta, Katie," Leyla said and took a chocolate out. "Now, I'm bursting for the toilet," she scolded Alyssa and heaved her bulk out of the chair and towards the bathroom.

"You know, we should probably go soon. But, well, let us know if you need anything all right?" Gennie said and gave Alyssa a quick squeeze.

Alyssa smiled at Leyla as she waddled away and looked at Gennie.

"Yeah, I'm sure I won't, but I will let you know if I do," she promised.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Gene looked at the clock and grinned when he saw it was almost time to go home. He grabbed up his phone as it rang, jotted down a note and headed down the hall. He walked straight up to Chris.

"An informant has just called about information on this case," Gene told him. "Go take care of it."

"It's time to go..." Chris began and trailed off at the look on Gene's face. "Yes, Guv."

He watched Gene turn and leave and picked up his cell phone as he stood up.

"Doing favor for Guv, be a bit late," he texted to Shaz and then hurried off to meet this informant.

He pulled up in front of the derelict building, gazed at it for a few minutes and then got out of the car and walked cautiously inside.

"Hello?" he called out softly. He gasped sharply as a hand clamped down on his shoulder and he was spun around. He blew out the breath and smiled.

"Lucy, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to see you. I was done for the day, on my way home and I saw this place."

"You're the informant?"

"Well, that's what I said, I just want to inform you," Lucy began and she stroked her hands over his chest. "That I really want to..." she trailed off and grabbed his collar and dragged him to her for a kiss.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Shaz looked down at her phone and sighed. She looked down at Olivia and smiled.

"He'll be home soon, watching the door isn't going to make him get here any sooner," she said as she picked Olivia up and put her in her chair at the table. "Now, finger paints?" she asked. "Make Daddy a picture for when he gets home?" she asked.

Olivia pulled her gaze from the door and nodded at her Mum. Shaz stroked the top of her head then went to get the paints and paper from the cupboard.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Jack finished his food and left the pub. He was glad Annie wasn't there. He wondered where Alyssa was.

He pulled out his phone and flipped it open. He stared at Alyssa's number for several minutes before finally scrolling through to Rowan's number.

"Thank you," he texted to Rowan and sighed as he walked into the house.

He dropped onto the couch and stared at his phone again. He finally hit Alyssa's number and listened to it ring.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

"Do you want me to drop you at your flat?" Chris asked Lucy as he leaned against the wall.

"No, I'll be fine if I walk," she replied. "Best take no chances of being seen together."

Chris nodded. He pressed a final kiss to her lips and then slowly walked back to his car and drove home.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Olivia looked up at the sound of a car outside and leapt out of her seat. Shaz caught her and wiped at her paint covered hands with a towel.

"Stand still!" Shaz laughed and made sure all of the wet paint was off Olivia's hands before her daughter dashed to the door to meet her father.

Chris smiled and picked Olivia up.

"Hello, my little one," he greeted her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Your daddy needs a shower," he told her and put her on the couch. "It's been one of those days."

Shaz smiled at Chris as she tidied away the paints and put Olivia's painting on the side to dry.

Chris came out in clean clothes and flopped onto the couch with a sigh.

"I told the Guv we might like to take a few of the night shifts, if Hale does leave. He seemed fine with it."

Shaz nodded with a smile "Well I can't see why he'd have a problem with it," she said. "If we want to take on extra shifts it means he doesn't have to bother trying to find a new member of staff," she pointed out. "Mind you, he will have to if Hale leaves. We can't take on all of his shifts between us, it's too much."

"I think the Guv has something in mind for that Lucy," Chris guessed. "He wants Alex to mentor her and he's got her working most of the time in CID. Pretty soon he'll probably start having her go out with us and observe cases."

Shaz nodded. "Ahhhh," she said. "That makes sense," she agreed thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm exhausted. I'll read our little scrap there a bedtime story and then go to bed," he told Shaz as he stood up and stretched.

Shaz nodded at him at watched him go. He was working a lot lately so that she got to spend days with Olivia. He insisted he didn't mind but she could see how exhausted it was making him.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up as her phone started ringing and pulled herself up off the sofa to go and get it from her handbag. She pulled her phone from her bag and looked at Jack's name. She bit her lip and sat herself down on the bottom step and ran her finger gently over the green button. The girls were right, she did want Jack...

Alyssa took a deep, calming breath and pressed the green button and held the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Lyss," Jack said quietly. "It's me. Um...I assume you're at Rowan's and I know they've gone out of town because Rowan stopped by here and had a go at me...at the state I was apparently in. She sicked Gene on me, the vicious creature. So, anyway, I would like to come by and see you, maybe we could talk."

"I'm not at Rowan's," she told him. "I'm up north."

"Oh," Jack said faintly. "Then I guess I won't stop by."

He was silent for a moment.

"Well, I should let you go then," he said. "Finish cleaning up the house in case Rowan stops by on their way home. Not sure I can endure the sharp side of her tongue again."

Alyssa kept the phone pressed to her ear, she was still angry at him, but everything that Gennie, Leyla and Katie had said to her was firmly in her head. What if he did find someone else because he thought she had left him for good? Just the thought was painful.

"Don't go," she murmured quietly. "Just..." she broke off and bit her lip. "Just talk to me Jack."

"I miss you," he said simply. "I don't really work well anymore without you."

He sighed heavily and wished he had a cigarette. He got up and walked slowly to the back garden and lit up.

"How's the cottage?"

Alyssa bit her lip and pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat on the step.

"It's..." she began and sighed. "The fields are beautiful," she said. "I was out there all morning...just walking," she told him. "And it's quiet and calm," she added.

"Quiet and calm? With Ffion there?" he attempted to joke and fell silent.

Alyssa half-smiled at his attempt at humour.

"I get the impression she's staying out of my way, I had a go at her when I got here," she admitted quietly.

"Oh, I see."

Alyssa paused for a moment, remembering what Leyla had said and took a deep breath. "You should..." she broke off and closed her eyes. She opened them again after a moment and tried again. "You should come up...I mean, you haven't got work or anything so..." she trailed off.

"Are you sure? I'll um...I'll stay in the spare room if you want, or I'll go to the B&B," he offered. He got up and walked back into the house. "I could leave tonight. Um, how long did you want to stay up there?" he asked, his voice speeding up slightly. "You know Rowan's wedding is in a couple of weeks, so it can't be longer than that."

He was aware he was babbling, but hoped she would ignore it.

"I know when Rowan's wedding is," she said. "I was going to stay here until I'm ready to go back," she said.

He was silent again for a bit as he pulled a carry-all bag out and began to toss some clothes in it.

"No, I wasn't implying that you didn't know, but sometimes, you get...distracted and...well...you know," he finished lamely. "I'll um...I'll get in the car and drive there now. Should be there before it gets too late, if you're sure."

Alyssa stayed silent while she listened to him, she could hear rustling sounds on the other ends of the phone and felt her stomach jolt slightly. He was coming up now. She couldn't work out whether she was happy or not. But she decided to go with it: her friends' words were still stuck in her mind, and she knew that she didn't want to lose Jack forever. But she also knew that she was still angry at him.

"I'm sure," she told him.

"Okay," he said. "And like I said, I'll stay in the spare room or the B&B, whatever you want," he reminded her.

"Okay," she agreed quietly.

"Oh, has Ffion admitted she's in love with Bob yet?" he wondered and quickly clamped his mouth shut. He wondered if he shouldn't have said anything.

"Well seeing as she was all over Cain when I got here I'm thinking not," she sighed. She knew well enough that Ffion had a fondness for Bob, though whether it stretched to love she wasn't sure. But to be honest, she hadn't been paying all that much attention.

"Right, then, I'll be there in a few hours," he told her.

"And I'm sure Cain is just some passing thing," Jack remarked. "Anyway. See you soon."

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Rowan woke with a smile. She was going shopping for her wedding dress with Alyssa today. She couldn't wait, though she wouldn't admit it. She already had her eye on a dress, but she wanted Alyssa to see it. She hadn't even told Alyssa yet that she had her eye on one. Barely over a week to the wedding, she was getting nervous.

She slid from the bed and went to take a shower.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Chris yawned and moved down the hall. He glanced around and slipped into Gene's outer office. He jumped when he heard the door, but smiled when he saw it was Lucy. He immediately moved towards her and plastered his lips against hers.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa woke early. She had had trouble sleeping ever since she moved to live with Rowan: now she was home and in her own bed she was sleeping better, but it seemed that not having Jack next to her was still affecting her sleeping pattern. She was getting to sleep later than usual and waking up earlier. It didn't matter that he was only in the next room. Alyssa had agreed to move back into the house but wasn't ready yet to let him back into her bed.

She pulled herself out and grabbed her dressing gown then crept downstairs. She was shopping with Rowan for a wedding dress today and was excited about it. They would find Rowan's perfect dress. She put the kettle on and put a couple of slices of toast into the toaster. She was glad that Leyla, Gennie and Katie had talked her into getting back with Jack, because although she hadn't completely forgiven him she didn't want to lose him.

Rowan got quickly dressed and pulled her hair into a ponytail before hurrying downstairs. She got going on the baking for the day. Trevor would be showing up soon and once Syed and Nora arrived, Rowan would be able to leave. She and Alyssa could get to the shops just after they opened. She grinned and put the pans of muffins in the oven.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Lucy pulled her clothes back on and smiled at Chris as he did, too.

"I'll see you," Lucy said and gave Chris a quick kiss. Chris peered around the door to make sure no one was around and nodded. Lucy hurried out and down the hall before anyone would see her. Chris working occasional night shifts was proving very useful.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Gene yawned and looked at the clock. What was he doing awake so early? He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Tonight, he and Sammy would be heading to Manchester after Gene got done at work and then seeing the match tomorrow. He was sure he'd annoyed Ray to no end bragging about the tickets to the game. He just wished he and Alex both didn't have to be at work. Sammy was always sullen after nursery. He just hoped the fact they were going to Manchester would cheer the boy up.

Gene glanced over at Alex and then climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to start getting ready for work.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa loaded her toast onto a plate and picked up her coffee. She wandered through to the front room and sat down on the sofa, the plate of toast balanced on her knee while she cradled her mug. She kept an eye on the time as she sat there. She would have to start thinking about getting ready to meet Rowan soon.

Ray rolled over and threw his arm out. He frowned when all he hit was empty air and he tried again, groping around the bed for Rowan. He frowned when he couldn't find her and opened an eye. She wasn't there. He sighed and rolled back onto his front. She was shopping with Alyssa today. God only knew what they'd come back with. A wedding dress hopefully.

He smiled. One week. Just one week then they would be married.

He pulled himself up and sat back against the wall. He reached for the remote and turned the TV on. He sighed as he flicked through channels. The only thing on was the news and early morning talk shows. He settled for the news.

Ray folded his arms as he watched her. "So, while you're out shopping with your sister, I'm left with that pair," he said with a jerk of his head to the ceiling.

He smiled as he got out of bed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Have fun, Ro," he told her. "Don't worry about the twins, I'll get them up," he told her as he headed to the bathroom. Ray took a quick shower and headed back to the bedroom to get dressed. He smiled at Rowan as he grabbed a pair of jeans and a top.

"Right. I'll go and wake up our little munchkins," he chuckled and pulled her into a hug. "Happy shopping, or whatever is people say" he mumbled to her.

Rowan chuckled at Ray's comments as she finished getting ready.

She dug out her sandals and slipped them on while Ray showered and then went to have one final cup of coffee. She drank it down quickly and went back into the bedroom to make the bed.

She quickly hugged him back. "I suppose you can say happy shopping if you want," she told him. "You can take them down to the restaurant for breakfast, like we normally do on Friday. I'm sure they'll forgive me for missing out this once," she said.

"Okay, I'm going to take the car and go pick up Alyssa."

She watched him head upstairs to the twins' room and sighed before heading down to the car. She got in and drove to Alyssa's. She hoped she and Jack were doing better. She downplayed the state Jack was in when Alyssa asked, she didn't think it would be all that healthy for Alyssa to know just how bad Jack had got. She raised her hand and knocked on the door.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Jack sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the sounds of Alyssa moving around downstairs. At least she was back in the house, even if they weren't in the same room or the same bed that would hopefully happen at some point. Now, however, she was in the house and on her way, he hoped, to forgiving him. He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and walked slowly down the hall. He looked at the box the designer bag he'd bought Alyssa was wrapped up in. For him, he hoped the day she finally opened it was the day he was actually forgiven. So in a way, he didn't mind it sitting there on the hall table. He gave it a small pat as he passed and headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

He dropped some bread in the toaster and switched the kettle on to make tea. He knew Alyssa was on the couch, but he would stay here until his things were ready and then go sit down. He knew she was going out today, but maybe he would get a few minutes to spend with her before she left.

He finished fixing his food and carried it into the front room and instead of sitting on the couch, sat on the chair nearby.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

When Trevor and Syed arrived, Rowan bounded up the stairs. She went into the bedroom and smiled cheerfully at Ray as she peeled off her t-shirt. She tossed it in the laundry basket and toed off her trainers as she looked in the wardrobe and pulled out a dress. She draped it at the foot of the bed and pulled off her jeans and went to sit at the dressing table to put on a little makeup.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Ray watched her go and then wandered to the twins' room. He went and sat on the edge of Denis' bed and reached over to pull open the curtains and watched the light spill into the room. He smiled at the sight of his sleeping children and cleared his throat loudly.

"Oi, sleeping beauties!" he said gently, raising his voice slightly.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up at Jack and watched him settle himself. She took a careful sip of her coffee.

"Morning," she said quietly as she kept her gaze fixed on him. She smiled weakly at him and then turned back to her toast unenthusiastically. She hated the tension between them. She still hadn't forgiven him completely and she knew that he was watching himself slightly around her. Yet she was conscious of almost every move he made.

"Hey, morning," he said, making sure to sound cheerful. He watched her face as she ate her toast.

"Do you want me to make some bacon before you go so you can have a bacon sarnie?" he offered.

Alyssa couldn't help her chuckle. She shook her head.

"No thanks, I'll just stick with toast," she smiled at him as she lifted the toast and took another bite.

"What're you doing today?" she asked after a moment.

Jack blew out a breath. "I don't know. Maybe I'll work in the garden. Some of the woodwork outside could do with a paint I think," he said with a shrug. "I'll keep myself entertained."

Alyssa nodded and finished up her toast. She drained her coffee from her mug and stood up.

"I'm going to go and get ready," she told him as she left the room and loaded her plate and mug into the sink.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alex sighed as she felt Gene leave her side and raised her head to watch him go into the bathroom. She glanced at the clock then pulled herself out of bed and headed to Sammy's room. She threw open the curtains to throw some light into the dark room and went and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Sammy," she murmured and he opened an eye.

"Wha?" he answered sleepily.

"Time to get up," she told him, stroking his hair. Sammy pulled the covers more tightly around him and shook his head.

"Don't wanna go to Nursery," he told her grumpily.

Alex smiled and tugged on his duvet. "It's just for one day, and Daddy's taking you up to Manchester tonight," she reminded him. "And I'll bet if you're a good boy and go to nursery, that he might even get you some sweets for the journey," she told him.

Sammy looked at her a little reproachfully. "But I don't wanna go," he told her.

Alex lifted him out of bed and pulled him into her arms. "I know Sammy, I know," she sighed as she stroked his hair.

"Do you want Daddy to take you to Nursery in the Quattro?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Okay then, you go and get ready to go so that you don't keep him waiting," she told him and he climbed out of her arms and hurried to the bathroom.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Gene sat in the kitchen and sipped at his tea.

"Come on if you're coming. I need to get in early so I can leave early," he said.

Sammy dashed out of his bedroom, buttons done up wrong but dressed. He held his little back pack tightly as he stopped in front of Gene.

"Ready," he said a little breathlessly. Alex looked up from her breakfast and shook her head.

"Come here Sammy, can't have you going out looking like a scruff pot," she said as she sorted out his buttons. She eyed his bag, it looked awfully full.

"You really need all of that? What have you got in there?"

Sammy clutched his bag tighter. "I need it" he insisted. Alex shrugged and kissed the top of his head. "Okay then," she smiled and looked at Gene.

"He's all yours, I'm going to get ready for work, I'll see you there" she told him as she gave him a brief kiss and went back into the bedroom.

"Right," Gene said. "Let's go then so we can get through the day and go have some fun."

He took Sammy's hand, strapped him into the car and took him to nursery.

"I'll be off work early to come get you, okay? Then we'll stop and pick things up for the trip. Plan?"

Sammy nodded silently as he stared out of the window. "Kay," he agreed.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up as she heard the doorbell and hurried to finish shoving everything into her handbag.

"Jack! Can you let Ro in?" she called out as she grabbed her jacket from the wardrobe and dug out her shoes. She glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure she was presentable and then left the bedroom and made her way downstairs.

"Yep," Jack called back and opened the door.

"Well, you look better," Rowan observed.

"Thanks," Jack said with a wry smile. "I don't think I ever properly thanked you for sicking Gene on me."

Rowan smiled. "You're welcome. Hopefully you and Lyss are getting better."

He nodded with a thin-lipped smile.

"She'll be down in a minute."

Alyssa smiled at Rowan from the top of the stairs and walked down them.

"Heya Ro," she smiled. "We off?" she asked.

"Yes, if you're ready," Rowan said and gave Jack a quick wave before leading Alyssa out to the car.

"Now, I didn't go out looking cause we're supposed to be shopping together. However, we were driving past this shop on the way back from Southend and I saw this dress in the window. I want to see if it's still there and what you think of it," Rowan told her as she pulled away from the house and set off to go to the shop.

Alyssa set her handbag in the foot-well and nodded.

"Fine by me," she smiled.

Rowan pulled up to the shop and got out. She smiled at Alyssa and glanced at the window. There was a new display.

"Hopefully, the dress will still be inside," Rowan said as she locked the car. She strode to the shop door and went inside. She nodded at the saleslady, but kept walking, glancing around her to see if she could find the dress. She finally stopped short as she spotted it and walked slowly towards the wall where it was hanging. She glanced behind her to look for Alyssa was in the shop yet and then reached and got the dress down.

Alyssa followed Rowan inside and smiled at the sight of all the wedding dresses hung up all over the shop. She watched Rowan head towards a dress and smiled as she moved forwards and took the dress and held it against Rowan.

"Try it on," she encouraged. Problem with dresses was you could never be sure how they would look on you until you tried it on. She smiled brightly at Rowan as she passed the dress back and looked pointedly at dressing rooms.

Rowan nodded and went into the dressing room and put the dress on. She came out of the dressing room, her face a study of disappointment. She looked at Alyssa and sighed.

"I guess it only looks good on the hanger," she said and looked in the mirror, wishing she were about 5 inches taller. She looked at Alyssa in dismay.

"Guess we better start looking."

Alyssa sighed as she looked at the dress.

"Don't worry Ro, we'll find the most amazing dress," she promised as she turned and started to browse through the dresses. She checked sizes and kept going through the dresses, pulling the ones off the rack that she wanted Rowan to try. She laughed as she came across a meringue type dress and pulled that off the rack too. The things that you thought were hilarious on the hanger, in her experience, often didn't look so bad once you put them on.

Rowan kept trying on dresses as Alyssa handed them to her. She had to admit, for some reason, this shopping was fun. She posed in various dresses and flounced around the shop. She really hadn't expected it to be so much fun. But then, she'd also thought she'd found the perfect dress. Rowan giggled whenever Alyssa handed her a meringue. With her height, or lack of, she just looked silly in it.

She finally stopped short as she pulled on one of the dresses Alyssa handed her. She walked out of the dressing room and smiled. "Look at this," she said and slowly turned around.

Alyssa dutifully hung up all of the discarded dresses. She couldn't help but laugh at Rowan, especially in the meringue dress. It just did not suit her at all. The sound of Rowans voice made her turn from hanging up the dress she was holding and her face bloomed in a smile at the sight of Rowan.

"I think that's it," she said quietly as she moved closer and looked over the dress carefully. It fitted perfectly.

"It's amazing," Rowan breathed. It suited her perfectly!

"I just hope it's not too expensive," Rowan whispered so the shop girl wouldn't hear and twisted to reach for the tag.

Alyssa reached for the tag and read the price. She murmured it to Rowan softly and looked at her.

"That's inside your budget right?" she asked quietly.

"Barely," Rowan admitted. "But I think I tried on every dress here and I don't think I'll find one more perfect."

She looked at the dress in the nearby mirror again. "I'm getting it, then we have to go eat lunch before I fall over."

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said happily.

She waited for Rowan to change out of the dress and smiled at her when she came back out of the dressing room. She watched her pay for her dress and smiled.

"So we put the dress safely in the car and then go and get some lunch?" she asked as they left the shop.

"Safe in the car? I don't think so. This thing is not leaving my sight," Rowan insisted and draped the garment bag over her arm. "It's not that heavy, especially with my wallet being so very much lighter," she joked. She was just glad they'd already got suits for Ray and Denis and a dress for Claire. She had stretched herself to the limit with this dress. She felt her lips curve into a small smile. It would be worth it to see Ray's expression.

Rowan looked at a chippy and sighed. "Suppose I'll have to forgo chips until after the wedding. At least it's only a week away."

Alyssa laughed lightly. "You can live on salad for a week Rowan, and then you can pig out at the wedding reception," she said as she walked along the street. She pointed at a Cafe and shrugged.

"I have no intention of living on salad. But I will miss chips and chocolate," she said with a sigh.

"One week Ro, you'll manage," Alyssa said supportively. "There?" she suggested.

She nodded at Alyssa's suggestion. "Good a place as any."

She nodded and led Rowan across the road to the Cafe and moved inside. She grabbed an empty table a little out of the way so that Rowan's dress wouldn't get trampled on or damaged in any way.

"Anyway," Rowan chuckled. "I'm just trying to be a proper bride by complaining about the 'possibly have-to-diet-or-won't-fit-in-the-dress' routine," she grinned at Alyssa. Rowan carefully draped the bag over the seat next to her. "I may have ordered lasagne, but I did ask for a salad instead of chips."

Alyssa gasped over-dramatically. "But Ro...that's cheese, carbs AND red meat," she said in mock shock then smiled. "I went for the maccy cheese," she said.

Rowan giggled. "And salad," she added.

Rowan took a sip of her tea. "Wonder if Ray took the kids to nursery or decided to keep them at home. I thought about bringing Claire, but she would have been bored I think."

"I did wonder why you didn't bring her, and how could she be bored looking at dresses all day?" she asked with a small shrug.

"Well, we weren't shopping for her though, were we? Besides, considering the price of the dress it's probably a good thing. She would blab it to Ray right away and then I'd be in trouble," she said with a grin.

"I suppose," Alyssa shrugged. "She can keep a secret though right?" she asked.

"Claire…keep a secret from her beloved father? Never happen. It would be blurted out at first opportunity, with her having completely forgotten it was supposed to be a secret," Rowan scoffed.

Alyssa smiled "I think it's sweet that she's such a Daddy's girl," she commented. "Though obviously it has its downside," she added.

"Obviously," Rowan agreed.

"Ray's going to get his mother tomorrow. I have this sneaking feeling he's planning something, maybe a short honeymoon, but I don't know. He won't say."

She smiled. "If it does turn out that Ray has booked a honeymoon then I don't mind looking after Denis and Claire, and I'm sure Jack won't mind either," she offered.

"Unless he's already asked you and you're keeping it a secret. In which case, I will not resort to torture, I am going to pig out on this lasagne," Rowan said and took a bite.

Alyssa laughed. "He hasn't told me anything," she assured Rowan as she grabbed up her fork and started on her macaroni cheese.

"And if he had, you wouldn't tell me. I don't mind. Though, if his mother is staying awhile that might be a clue," she said and took another bite.

Alyssa shrugged. "She's here for the wedding anyway isn't she?" she asked.

"Yes, but I mean if she's staying longer after the wedding," Rowan said and smiled.

Alyssa smiled. "That would be something of a clue, yeah," she agreed with a smile.

Rowan finished her lunch and leaned back.

"I think I'll take the rest of the lasagne home," Rowan decided. "So I'm not eating too much," she grinned sheepishly at Alyssa.

"Suppose we should get back," she added with a sigh and stood up. She lifted the garment bag and carefully draped it over her arm before walking out.

She pulled out her phone after settling the dress in the back seat and getting in the car.

"Hows things?" she sent to Ray.

Alyssa snorted. "You can't put on that much weight in a week Ro, especially with the amount of worry and stress you're going to be under, I barely ate anything leading up to my wedding. In fact, if it wasn't for you I probably would have forgotten to eat all together," she smiled. "So don't worry too much about it."

Alyssa followed Rowan out of the Cafe and back to the car, making sure that the dress was okay.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Ray looked at the twins as they ate their breakfast, he'd managed to make them cheese on toast and they seemed okay with that. He didn't fancy ruining a whole batch of pancakes. He wasn't entirely sure what went in them.

He sat down at the table with them and his own slice of cheese on toast.

"How comes we eating here?" Claire wanted to know. "Fwiday is brefuss down there."

Denis glared at her as he ate. Claire ignored him and continued.

"Why we havin cheese n toast?"

"Can we has some bacon?"

"Where's mummy?"

"We goin play group today?"

Ray sighed at Claire's questions.

"We're up here because your Mam has gone wedding shopping with your Auntie. You're having cheese on toast because it's nicer than toast and butter, yes if you want some you can have some bacon and no, you're not going to playgroup today," he told her.

"So, your Grandma's coming down tomorrow," he told them. "I've got to get up early to go up to Manchester and get her, either of you want to come?" he asked them as he reached for his mug.

"ME! ME! ME!" Claire shrieked.

"Me," Denis said around a mouthful of food.

He grinned at the pair of them. "You're both gonna have to be up early then," he told them. "If you're not ready when I'm ready to go then I'm not waiting, I want to beat the traffic up there," he smiled at them as he stood up and dug around in the fridge.

Denis nodded. "We can get up early," he told him father and picked up his food and started eating again. He couldn't wait to go. Gramma Maggie always gave him biscuits.

"Did you want bacon?" he asked them.

"But why can't we eat down there just cuz Mummy's not here?" Claire whined, going back to her previous questions.

"I want bacon," Denis agreed.

Ray grinned at Denis. "Good lad," he beamed.

"I wanna eat down stairs," Claire grouched, annoyed at her food and at being ignored and shoved her plate off the table.

Ray nodded as he pulled the bacon out of the fridge and set it in the pan. Claire's words and the clatter of the plate caused Ray to whip around and stare at her.

"Claire!" he snapped. "We are eating up here for breakfast, and at lunchtime we will eat downstairs" He looked at the floor and the pieces of cheese on toast now on the floor of the little kitchen. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Pick the plate up and pick your breakfast off the floor!" he told her and pointed at the plate. "Now!"

Denis stared at his sister, who folded her arms and set her jaw as she glared at her father. Denis leaned over and pushed at Claire's arm. She turned her glare on him, but with a great show of reluctance, got down off her chair and picked the plate and food off the floor. She stomped past Ray and threw the plate and food in the sink and stomped out of the kitchen.

"Claire's mad at you," Denis observed.

Ray frowned after her and then looked at Denis.

"I got that much, mate," he sighed as he finished cooking the bacon and slid it onto Denis' plate. He ruffled his hair as he joined him at the table and put some of the bacon onto his own plate.

"So, what d'you fancy doing today?" he asked as he swallowed. He'd let Claire cool down from her strop before he spoke to her.

Denis watched expectantly as his father slid bacon onto the plate and poked at it until he decided it was cool enough to pick up and eat.

He shrugged at his father's question. "Dunno," he replied around a mouthful of bacon. He knew his mother didn't approve of talking with food in his mouth, but his father didn't seem to mind so much. "Football?"

Ray shrugged and nodded in response.

"How about we take a ball down the park and have a kick about, maybe get some ice cream," he said as he finished up his food and went back to the sink.

Denis nodded. He was all for ice cream.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Claire realized her father wasn't going to come after her and slid down from the armchair in the front room. She peered around it and saw him in conversation with Denis. She crept around the chair and to the door of the flat and began to negotiate her way down the stairs. She carefully edged into the kitchen and stood near the break table.

Syed caught sight of her and walked over.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Can I sit there and have some pancakes?" she asked him, her eyes wide and pleading.

"I suppose so, but where's your Mum?"

"She's getting a dress for marry Daddy," she said seriously as she climbed onto one of the chairs.

"And your Daddy said it's okay to come down here and eat?"

She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look and nodded.

He looked at her a moment, but shrugged and went to make the pancakes. She must have permission then, he decided.

Ray sighed at the sight of Claire's discarded breakfast and picked the pieces of toast out of the sink. He dumped her breakfast in the bin seeing as she clearly didn't want it and filled the sink with warm water. He washed up his and Claire's plates and left the water in the sink for when Denis was done.

He looked over at Denis and sighed. "I'm going to go and find your sister," he told him as he looked at his plate "You'll put your plate in the sink when you're finished?" he asked and patted his sons shoulder affectionately.

"Yes, Daddy," he said obediently and finished eating. Denis climbed down and put his plate in the sink and looked at Ray. "K, I find ball," Denis offered and went to the cupboard in the front room.

Ray left Denis to his breakfast and went into the front room. He sighed when he saw Claire wasn't there and went upstairs into their room. Still no Claire. Ray checked every other room and his frown got deeper with every room he checked.

"Denis, I'm just going to check downstairs for your sister," he told him.

Ray marched downstairs and nodded briefly at Syed as he spotted Claire quite happily eating pancakes. He stood opposite her and frowned with his arms folded.

"My cheese on toast not good enough?" he asked her grumpily.

Claire pointedly ignored her father and took another bite. Syed frowned and walked over to Ray.

"She said you said she could come down here," he told Ray and Claire whipped her head around to glare at Syed.

"Grass," she snapped and grabbed her plate and got down from the table and put it on the counter by the dishwasher.

Syed raised his eyebrows at Claire and looked at Ray and went back to the stove as Claire stomped out of the kitchen.

Ray glared after Claire and looked at Syed. "Not your fault mate," he said quickly before stalking after his daughter. He snatched her off the floor and held her under his arm as he carried her back into the flat and dumped her on the bottom step of the stairs up to her room; the naughty step.

"You sit there quietly until I say you can move," he told her angrily.

Ray walked away from Claire, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was still sitting on the step before going to wash up Denis' plate and dry his and Claire's. He put the plates away and went to look for Denis.

Claire let out a shrill shriek as she felt her father pick her up.

She glared at him as he put her on the step and let out another scream and began to stomp her feet.

Denis came out of the cupboard and walked over to his father and held up the ball. He looked at Claire and sighed. He knew he wouldn't be going anywhere. Why did she always have to ruin everything? He screwed his face up into a frown and walked over to her.

"Shut up, Claire," he told her and Claire's mouth snapped shut. She folded her arms and glared at him before hunching down.

Denis walked back over and climbed onto the couch and then looked over at Ray.

Ray refused to look at Claire while she pulled her little tantrum. He bounced the ball up and down and sighed, until Claire calmed down he wasn't going to be able to go anywhere with Denis. He looked at Denis on the sofa and shrugged.

He sighed as he fell onto the sofa next to Denis, because of Claire's tantrum Denis had to miss out. That was the problem with two kids and only one parent present. He ruffled Denis' hair apologetically and glanced over at Claire. She seemed to have calmed down.

He passed the football back to Denis and made his way back over to Claire, he stood next to where she was sitting and looked down at her.

"You calmed down yet?" he asked her.

Claire turned her back and sniffled.

"Lemmelone," she muttered and hunched over farther.

Denis peered over at Claire and his father and then looked back at the TV. He wished Claire had gone with Mummy and Auntie Lyss. Girls did shopping stuff. Claire was a girl and should have gone. He knew she had wanted to go, she could usually get Auntie Lyss to buy her something.

"We could leave her here," Denis suggested.

Ray frowned at Claire, bloody women and their moods.

He shook his head at Denis. "No, she's not staying here on her own Denis," he sighed and sat down next to Claire.

"Hey," he said softly as he nudged her gently. "What's wrong Claire?" he asked her softly. All he knew was that she had thrown her breakfast on the floor, stormed downstairs, convinced Syed to feed her pancakes, screamed at him and was now sat sullenly on the stairs.

Claire dropped her chin on her knees and dangled her arms at her sides. "I wanted to go wif Mummy and Auntie Lyss an I din and I wanted to have brefuss down there and I din and when I did Syed told on me," she told Ray and heaved a big sigh. She lifted her arms and slid them between her head and her knees.

Ray sighed and patted her back.

"Claire, sweetheart, we don't always get everything we want," he told her. "You just have to shrug it off and move on, maybe compromise on a few things," he said gently.

"You should copp-mise and let us eat brefuss downstairs," she said back sullenly. She looked up at her father's question and wiped her face on her sleeve.

Ray stroked her head and smiled. "I could've done, but I did compromise and say that you could have lunch downstairs," he reminded her as he dropped a kiss on her head.

"But lunch doesn't have face-cakes Syed made," she told him.

Ray shrugged. "You could ask him for some if you really want them," he suggested to her.

"Not the same," Claire moaned.

"Girls," Denis snorted in irritation.

He glanced over at Denis and smiled slightly at his son's comment, kid learned fast.

"Now," he said. "Denis and I want to go down the park with the football, and maybe have some ice cream while we're there," he told her. "You coming?"

"Am I gonna gets to haf ice cream?" she asked.

"You can have ice cream if you cheer up and stop being so stroppy," he told her decisively.

She looked at Ray and stuck out her lip. "I not stoppy," she argued.

Ray frowned and folded his arms as he looked down at her. "I disagree, you're being very stroppy," he told her.

"Not sroppy," she argued, trying the word again and then turned around in a huff.

Denis turned off the TV and climbed off the couch. He picked up the ball and walked over.

"You can't play footie though," Denis told her. "You're a girl."

Claire lunged off the stair. "I can so!" she shrieked.

Denis stuck his tongue out at her and turned around.

Ray half-smiled at Denis and then looked at Claire, he looked back at Denis and shrugged "She can try, she can be in goal" he suggested.

"Canwego?" Denis asked in a slightly bored tone.

Ray looked at them and sighed; he stood up and looked at the pair of them. He nodded at Denis and then turned back to Claire.

Claire balled her hands into fists and snorted before stomping across the front room and picking up her handbag. Auntie Lyss had bought it for her and she never left the house without it.

"I ready," she announced.

"RIGHT!" he said as he clapped his hands together and looked at his kids. "Lets go," he said as he ushered them towards the door and downstairs. He led them out of the back door and out of the restaurant then walked them to the nearest park.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

"Claire stroppy - wanted to go with you. Denis fine."

"Actually, I don't feel that stressed," Rowan said coolly as she drove them back to Alyssa's house. "You and Jack still don't mind doing this in your garden?"

Rowan heard her phone beep and quickly read the text when she stopped at a red light. She chuckled.

"Apparently Claire did want to come with us. Ray said she's in a strop over not getting to go," she told Alyssa.

"You're doing better than me then," Alyssa smiled. She nodded. "Nope, we're still fine with that," she said.

Alyssa sighed. "Poor Ray, I imagine Claire's very difficult when she's moody or upset," she asked then grinned. "Just look how stubborn and difficult her parents can be," she teased.

Rowan looked over at Alyssa and stuck out her tongue. "I'm not stubborn or difficult. I'm….um….forceful and complex," she said and chuckled.

Alyssa broke into a laugh. "Oh sure, forceful and complex," she giggled. "No, definitely stubborn and difficult," she said again. "And so is Ray, which is kinda why you work," she grinned.

"Yeah, well you're….pigheaded and prone to flying off the handle," Rowan shot back and made a face. "So there."

Alyssa frowned. "Flying off the handle yeah, but I'm not that pigheaded," she replied.

Rowan gave Alyssa a look, but said nothing.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Gene went into the station, waving goodbye to Chris as Chris left. He sat down behind his desk and got started on his paperwork.

Chris nodded to Lucy as they passed each other in the hall.

"I'll find a way to see you tonight," he told her and she flashed a quick smile. She strode into Gene's outer office and sat down behind her desk and flipped on the computer.

Chris headed home. He just hoped the flat would be quiet so he could get some sleep.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alex finished getting ready and finally left the house. She got in her car and drove to the station

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Sammy sat on his own in the corner as he watched the other children all playing. He always felt left out and alone. He hugged his rucksack closer to his chest, the helper had tried to get him to hang it up but he was refusing to let it go. He knew he would need it at some point. It had his lunch in and he would need the bag with him at all times, he was planning on going to Molly's flat. He knew that his sister would let him in, if he went to the station to see his Mum or Dad they would take him straight back to Nursery. Molly wouldn't.

Sammy looked up as the helper announced that they were going outside and he moved forward and filed out with the other children. He knew there was a gap in the bushes where he could squeeze through if he tried. He'd watched another boy try it until one of his friends had started making a load of noise and attracting attention. Sammy edged towards that section of the bushes and pushed his rucksack through. Sammy waited for a moment to make sure no one was watching him, not that they would be, and then crawled through after his bag.

Sammy picked his bag up from the floor and slid his arms through the loops so that it was on his back. He glanced around and was glad that the bushes were too high for anyone to see over. He smiled to himself as he started to go in the direction that he thought Molly's house was.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\

Gene got up and walked out and stood by Lucy's desk.

"Right, I want you to spend some time with DI Hunt today," he told her. "I'm off to a meeting for now and don't forget I'm leaving early."

Lucy nodded. "Yes, Guv."

Chris staggered into the flat and yawned hugely. He went into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. He leaned against the counter and drank it before going into the bedroom and stripping off his clothes.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\

Alex got into work and heaved a sigh as she sat down at her desk. As much as she was looking forward to some time alone without Gene and Sammy, she knew she would be worrying most of the time. Gene wasn't at all likely to be texting her and letting her know that both he and Sammy were fine. He didn't even have a phone. She grumbled to herself, stupid man.

She sighed, she'd said she didn't have a problem so would have to deal with it. It was only a couple of days after all, and Sammy was so excited about going. She smiled as she remembered the look on his face; Gene would take care of him anyway. She knew she shouldn't worry, but it didn't meant that she wouldn't.

Lucy headed down the hall and went into the main room. She spotted Alex and walked over.

"The Guv wanted me to hang out with you today," Lucy told her. "So, here I am."

Alex looked up at Lucy and smiled.

"Brilliant," she said as she grabbed a seat out for Lucy.

"Now..." she said as she dug in a drawer and pulled out a folder. "Right," she said with a smile.

"I was thinking we could work on some psychology stuff today?" she suggested as she stood up and grabbed a pen. She gestured at the folder. "Pick a case," she said. "They've all been solved, but I've been collecting information so that I can teach you how to recognise certain behaviours," she smiled.

Lucy nodded and sat down.

"We're starting a lot of that in my course," Lucy told her.

Alex nodded. "Good," she smiled. "Means I can give you some tips and you can practice," she smiled.

Lucy nodded and bent her head to the paperwork.


	12. Chapter 12

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 12**

"This stuff is really fascinating," Lucy said to Alex as she finished asking more questions and noting down Alex's answers.

"Can we go to lunch now?" she asked. "I'm starving. I'm even willing to buy."

Alex smiled and nodded as she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and stood. She cleared all of the paper off her desk and into her drawer.

"Let's go," she smiled.

Lucy got up and followed Alex out.

"The diner?" she asked and gestured in the direction of it.

Alex nodded with a smile. "Of course, where else around here do we get amazing food?" she asked with a small snort.

Lucy walked into the restaurant and chose a likely-looking table. She quickly ordered her food from Charlie and put her notebook on the table. When Alex was done ordering, she opened the book.

"So, here's what I'm trying to plan for my next course," she said and pushed the book across to Alex.

Alex pulled Lucy's notes towards her and looked over them. She nodded and began suggesting things that Lucy could add and complimenting other parts of her plan.

Lucy sipped her drink and listened carefully to Alex. She was really starting to enjoy this and the subject was fascinating. She was tempted to use her father as a case study. She held back a chuckle at the thought.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Peter walked into the front room.

"I just talked to Jane; she wants me to help her with the food for Rowan's reception. Do you want to pitch in?" he asked Molly.

Molly nodded agreeably. "Sure!" she smiled.

"What does she want?" she asked curiously. "Like a buffet?"

"I think so. They decided to have it at R&R, and Jane offered to do the food. Not sure what all she's doing. I think Rowan's just left it up to Jane."

"Awesome," she smiled. "I'll help out."

"If you've got your work all done, why don't I take you to lunch?" Peter offered. "I'd really like some of that chocolate cake that Rowan makes. I wish she'd let you have the recipe," he said enviously.

Molly chuckled and slid on her shoes, she took his hand and led him out of the flat.

"Well, I'll just have to beg, really really hard," she smiled at him. "Or you just keep buying lots and lots of it," she shrugged.

"Okay, I'll buy lots then," he grinned and squeezed her hand.

"You all set for the reception being at the club?" he asked her as they walked along.

"Yeah, everyone is ready, staff all sorted and I've got a good idea about the decorations and stuff," she smiled at him.

"Do you think Roxy and JT will come back for this?"

Molly shrugged at him. "No idea. Turns out that Roxy's really difficult to get hold of," she sighed.

"Huh," Peter said. "Maybe Rowan knows. If she's there you can ask her. What do you think you'll do when Roxy comes back?" he asked her.

Molly nodded then sighed. "Dunno, we'll probably have to have a meeting or something for her to catch up on everything, then who knows?" she shrugged.

Peter opened the door for Molly and gave Nora a quick wave.

"I want at least two slices of chocolate cake to go," he told her. "We're going to eat here, though," he added and led Molly to a table. He sat down and realized Alex and Lucy were on the other side of the restaurant.

"Hey, your Mum's here," he said. "Do you want to sit with her instead?"

Molly nodded. "Can do, yeah," she smiled and looked over. "She's talking to your sister," she pointed out with a smile as she made her way over and slid into the seat next to Alex.

"I'm aware of that, but I was trying not to be," he joked and followed her over.

"Hey, Mum," she smiled as she gave Alex a quick one armed hug then beamed at Lucy. "Hiya, Lucy."

Alex smiled. "Hi, Molls, how's things?"

Molly nodded. "Good, I'm helping Peter and Jane with Rowan's reception," she told Alex then looked at the book. "What're you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Psychology," Alex replied and Molly nodded. "Oh," she said, she didn't really _get _psychology. Alex had tried to explain certain parts of it to her several times, but it didn't really interest her.

"The criminal mind is fascinating," Lucy told her. She looked at Peter. "Though I thought I might write a paper on dad," she said with a chuckle.

Peter shook his head. "That could take years."

He looked at Molly. "You know what you want?" he asked her as Charlie came over.

Molly nodded and told Charlie her order.

Alex looked at Molly. "Gene's taking Sammy up to see the match in Manchester this weekend," she told her and Molly smiled.

"He'll love that won't he?" she asked and Alex nodded. "Yes, but he's upset about going into nursery today," she sighed. Molly nodded sadly.

"Things will get better soon though, I'm sure," Peter offered.

"Some kids can keep it up as long as most adults," Lucy disagreed and glanced at Alex.

Charlie brought the food over.

"You still want me to work in the club on Saturday night?" he asked Molly.

Alex sighed at them and nodded "It'll change when he gets to school, and out of that nursery," she said confidently.

Molly nodded at Charlie. "Yes please, if you're still able to do it," she smiled at him.

"Not a problem," Charlie told her and walked off to help another table.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Chloe looked around at the children as they sat down at the little tables to eat their lunch. She smiled as she counted heads to see how many they had then went over to the desk and counted the number of children signed in. She frowned, she must have missed one. She counted them all again and her frown deepened, no definitely 16 children. There should be 18. She went and checked the toilets and nodded slightly as he made his way back to the table. 17. Still missing one.

She went and got the sign in book and checked it against the kids she could see. Sam Hunt was missing; she bit her lip and went to get Mrs. Arnold.

"Well, you're going to have to call him."

"But he's so intimidating."

"You should've kept a better eye on the kids, then! Did you know that both of them are police officers, a DI and DSI if I remember correctly, they could quite easily press charges!"

Chloe gulped and nodded at Mrs. Arnold. She sighed heavily, she'd met Sam Hunt's father on a few occasions when he dropped his son off and the guy was frankly one of the scariest people she'd ever met. His wife seemed quite pleasant, though.

Chloe dug through the forms until she came across Sam Hunt's, it had his mother's mobile number, his home number and both parents' work numbers. She picked Mrs. Hunt's mobile, surely she would be better than trying to talk to Mr. Hunt.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Alex detached herself from the conversation and pulled her phone out of her bag. She frowned slightly as she recognised the nursery's number and presumed that Sammy had been playing.

"Alex Hunt," she answered.

"Umm Mrs Hunt, it's Chloe Reynolds from the Nursery, we, um, we seem to have lost your son," she said meekly.

Alex's eyes widened and she felt her heart race in her chest. "Sorry, could you say that again, I think I may have misheard you," Alex said as calmly as she could. Molly frowned at her Mother's tone of voice and turned her head to look curiously at Alex. She took in the sight of Alex's clenched fists, knuckles almost white and placed her hand gently over the top and squeezed Alex's fist. Alex didn't look at Molly; her attention was on the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Your son, Sam, he's missing."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked slowly, holding herself together. "Have you looked?"

"We've searched the entire nursery and the ground outside and around, there's no sign of him Mrs. Hunt, I'm sorry."

"When!" Alex demanded to know. "When did he vanish?"

"We only noticed 20 minutes ago."

Alex snapped her phone shut and dropped it onto the table as she stood.

"Mum!" Molly said as she stood too and looked worriedly at Alex. "What's happened, you've gone white!"

"Sammy's missing," Alex said shortly as she snatched her phone back up and walked out of the restaurant, dialling Gene's number as she went.

Molly gaped after Alex and looked at Peter and Lucy as she felt the panic and worry well up inside her.

Peter reached over and grabbed Molly's hand.

"We should go look for him, Charlie can pack up our food and we can get it later," he told her, but still grabbed up several chips from his plate and ate them quickly.

"I'll help," Lucy offered and quickly stood up. She walked over to Charlie and told him they needed containers for their food and he nodded and went to get some and brought them over.

"Thanks, Luce," Peter said and nodded at Charlie and began to put his and Molly's food into the containers while Lucy did hers.

"He's probably just wandered off somehow," Lucy suggested. "I bet with a bit of help we find him pretty quick."

Peter quickly sent off texts to Fatboy and to Whitney asking them to help. They were the only people he could think of who could get away to help look.

Molly nodded and headed out with Peter and Lucy to go and look for Sammy.

Peter looked at Molly.

"Start at the nursery?" he asked her and began to head in that direction.

Molly nodded. "That's where he was last," she said as she broke into a run.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Whitney read the text and gasped. She stood up and put the dress she was working on aside.

"I'll be back," she said as she ran past Jodie and Poppy at the counter.

Jodie looked at Poppy.

"Wonder where she's going?"

"Where's she going d'you think?" Poppy asked as she watched Whitney leave.

Jodie sighed and shook her head. "She looked really worried, don't you think, Pops? I hope nothing's wrong."

"I bet there's something wrong though Jode, did you see her face, she looked proper worried," Poppy said, her tone serious and concern all over her face.

"I feel like I should have asked her if she needed any help," Jodie said mournfully. "Now I just have to stay here and worry," she added and leaned against the counter, her shoulders slumped.

"Oh Jodes, it's not your fault," Poppy said desperately as she came over and wrapped an arm around Jodie. "You can't go beating yourself up Jodie, you're always really sensitive," she said affectionately.

"I hate being so sensitive, Pops," Jodie said and leaned against Poppy. She straightened up and looked Poppy squarely in the face, her expression determined. "If we can help, we will, won't we."

"Course we will!" Poppy replied brightly. "We have to help if something's wrong Jode, wouldn't be right if we didn't!" Poppy insisted.

"Definitely wouldn't be right," Jodie echoed and gave her head a decisive nod.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Alex half-screamed in frustration when Gene's phone kept going through to answer-phone. She ran all the way to the station and burst into his office. Empty. WHY THE HELL WAS IT EMPTY! She sat down in Gene's seat and pulled his bottle of scotch from the drawer and took a quick gulp. She knew she needed to calm down, but how could she when her son was missing. She needed Gene, and he wasn't here. She grabbed his diary off his desk and looked at it, stupid man was so bloody un-organised! Meeting.

Alex scrawled a note and left it on his desk before heading out to go and look for her son.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Whitney ran up to Sammy's nursery and looked around for Peter and the others. She was pretty sure they would start here first. She paced along the pavement in front of the building, trying to catch her breath and noticed a break in shrubs. That was probably where he'd gotten out. She stuck her hands on her hips and looked around as she waited.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Molly stopped as she reached the nursery, panting a little then spotted Whitney, she darted over and looked at her.

"Found anything?" she asked hopefully as she looked around.

Whitney shook her head.

"Not really, but look at the hedge there, it's broken like someone crawled through," she pointed.

"We should split into pairs," Lucy suggested. "Molly, you and Peter go that way and Whit and I will go this way. We can text if we find anything. He can't be that far, can he?"

Alex had bolted from the restaurant so fast they hadn't had time to find out how long Sam had actually been gone.

Peter nodded at Lucy's suggestion. "Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed and grabbed Molly's arm and went off in the direction Lucy had indicated, calling Sammy's name once he was at the end of the street.

"Let's go," Whitney said to Lucy. "If we should need more help, though, we can get it. I can get Bolton over here and they may be a bit dim, but Jodie and Poppy have good hearts and would be here in a second to help."

Lucy nodded. "He's got to be close by. I don't even want to think about what might have happened," Lucy told her and Whitney looked at her curiously. "That someone grabbed him while he's out," Lucy explained and set off at a brisk walk, leaving Whitney to follow along behind.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Molly wandered around with Peter for the next few hours, calling Sammy's name, asking people if they'd seen her little brother wandering around. No one had seen him, though at one point she had thought that she had found him, but it turned out to be some other little blond boy whose mother came along just as Molly reached the boy. She hadn't heard anything from Whitney or Lucy or her Mum either.

Finally she stopped and sat down on a nearby wall and cradled her head in her hands. What if he'd been snatched? What if they didn't find him? What if something awful had happened to him? Hundreds of different possibilities speeding through her mind until she finally started crying.

Peter quickly grabbed Molly and wrapped her in his arms.

"We'll find him, Molls, we will," he assured her as he stroked her hair and held her tight.

Molly slid her arms around Peter and held tight to him as she hid her face in his chest.

"What if something has happened to him?" she whispered through her tears.

"Please, Molly, don't think like that," Peter soothed. "We'll find him, we will."

He heard her phone beeping. "You better check that, maybe they found him," he said hopefully.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Alex had checked everywhere. She had gone and interrogated the nursery staff until they cowered intimidated by the dangerous mixture of her worry and fury. She hadn't got much out of them at all, then she had proceeded to interrogate every single person she passed as she went to look for her son. Nothing. No trace of him anywhere, they didn't even have an exact time that Sammy had disappeared because the bloody staff hadn't bothered to pay attention to the children in their care. Well, she would be pressing charges, as soon as she had her son safely back in her arms.

Still nothing from Gene. She needed him to help her with this; she needed his support and his authority. She needed her son safe and sound. She called his office number once more, she was getting more and more hysterical and desperate with every moment that past, she needed his reassurance, and he was in a bloody meeting! His son was far more important!

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Whitney leaned against a nearby wall and sighed. "Lucy, we've walked miles, surely we would have found him by now."

Lucy looked around. They had even checked alleyways and any places he might be hiding in, but there was just too many.

"We need more help," Lucy told her. Whitney nodded and pulled out her phone.

"Nothing yet," Whitney texted to Molly. She just hoped Molly and Peter were having better luck than she herself and Lucy were. She gnawed her lip a moment and then sent off a text to Jodie.

"Molly little brother missing. Come help search," she paused in her typing. "We should meet up somewhere," Whitney suggested. Lucy glanced around.

"We're actually near the diner, let's go there," Lucy decided.

"Meet at the Diner now," Whitney finished and sent the text. She then sent one off to Bolton.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Jodie heard her phone and gasped. She quickly read the text and looked at Poppy.

"We have to go help, Molly, you know Molly, we were at hers for that party, her little brother is missing. He is just the cutest little boy. Whitney wants us to meet her at the diner, right now," Jodie told her and grabbed the keys off the counter and walked towards the door as fast as her overly-high heels would carry her.

Poppy gasped and silently grabbed up her handbag then tottered after Jodie.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Charlie looked up from the register as Lucy and Whitney came slamming in.

"We need everyone's help," Lucy called out as she passed him, garnering everyone's attention that was in the diner this late after lunch.

"Sammy Hunt is missing from nursery; it looks like he got out through the hedge. We've searched the surrounding area and can't find him. We need more people," Lucy announced. She then turned and called the station. Whether the Guv was there or not, Sammy had been gone nearly two hours.

"Adam," she said when the phone was finally picked up. "We need as many people willing to come to the diner, Sammy Hunt is missing from nursery, he's been gone just over two hours now. Four of us have searched the immediate area with no luck," she explained.

Syed quickly got out his phone and sent off a text to Rowan.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Rowan heard her phone beeping.

"Lyss, can you get my phone and see who is texting me?" she asked. "Don't worry, Ray doesn't send those kind of texts," she added with a grin. "It should be right on top in my bag."

Alyssa smiled ruefully. Jack used to send her texts like that, he used to send them quite a lot, especially when the first got together. She sighed and pulled out Rowan's phone.

"It's from Syed," she said and her eyes widened as she read the text.

"Sammy's missing," she said worriedly. "Syed says that Lucy and Whitney are pulling people together to look for him," she said.

"You're kidding!" Rowan gasped as she turned the corner. They were nearly there.

"Tell Syed we're almost there," she said. "Then maybe you should have Jack get over here to help. I'll tell Ray, good thing he has today off. You can help me start getting things ready for volunteers, people will get hungry and thirsty and it's the least I can do," Rowan said. Someone would have to stay with the twins and this way Rowan could do that and still help out.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Bolton glanced down at his phone and raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the clock; he was due a lunch break he supposed. He took a quick shower and headed off for the Diner.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Ginger looked up as Adam came in and told them about Sammy. He immediately stood up and began to walk towards the door, with a glance back at Shaz.

"Can you let Chris know?" he finally asked and hurried out.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Lucy started organizing people into groups.

Syed walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Rowan said she'll be here soon and she and Alyssa are going to put together food and drink for everyone volunteering."

Lucy nodded. She wondered where Alex was. She realized something else and sent off another text to Molly.

"We need a pic of your brother."

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Molly looked at her phone then showed him the text sadly. "They haven't," she said glumly. She looked down at her phone again and nodded slightly as she found the most recent and decent picture of Sam that she had on her phone and sent it to Lucy. She then sent a text to her Mum about what was happening so that she knew. Molly knew that Alex would be in pieces

"Come on, let's go get with everyone else and see what my sister is up to," Peter suggested and gently guided Molly towards the restaurant.

Molly took a deep calming breath and nodded at him. "Okay," she said quietly as she kept a firm hold of his hand.

She sent off a text to Alex to say what was happening at the Restaurant and that she should get down there.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Lucy looked around as more people began coming into the restaurant, all coming to help find Sam. She wondered briefly where Chris was, but she couldn't think about him just now. She hoped Alex would get here soon, especially as some of her fellow officers began arriving.

Rowan pulled up and quickly got out of the car. She went in the side door, leaving the door open for Alyssa while she hurried upstairs to put the dress in the bedroom. She fished her phone from her bag and put it in her pocket and then hurried downstairs.

Lucy caught sight of Rowan and walked over to her.

"Do you have somewhere we could print this photo?" she asked. Rowan nodded.

"I could print it off in black and white, no problem," Rowan said. Lucy sent Rowan the picture and Rowan headed back upstairs to hook her phone up to the computer and print the photo.

She texted Ray about Sammy as she went. She printed off several pictures and took them back down to Lucy.

"I'm hoping Alex will get here soon," Lucy was telling everyone. Rowan gave her the pictures and then went to make sure that tea and coffee had been started.

"We're making some sandwiches, too," Syed told Rowan and she turned to look at him.

"Good," she said.

Alyssa followed Rowan inside and headed straight for the kitchen. She couldn't see Alex, Gene or Molly anywhere; presumably they were all out looking for Sammy. She bit her lip and fired off another text to Jack, they were going to need all the help they could get to find Sammy.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Gene got back to the station when the meeting was over and frowned at the quiet. It was too quiet. He strode to his office and dropped into his chair, his hand stretching out to tap on the desk. He noticed a piece of paper that hadn't been there before. His eyes widened and then narrowed and he got up out of the chair quickly, causing it to slam against the wall and then he slammed out of the office and down the hall to the main room.

He shoved the door open hard. "What the bloody hell does it mean that my son is missing?" he bellowed and looked around.

Shaz looked up in alarm at Gene.

"From what we know the nursery called Alex and she came back here to find you. Lucy's gathering people to help look for him now, everyone's meeting down at Rowan's," she explained to him calmly. "I'm staying here to man the phones and keep everything in order," she added.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Alex glanced down at her phone and nodded at Molly's text. If they were sending out search parties from Rowan's then Gene would probably be there. She turned around and ran the whole way to the Diner. She was panting by the time that she got there but pushed her way in and looked around.

Alex was bowled over as Molly flung herself at her and Alex hugged her daughter tightly. "Anything?" Alex whispered and Molly shook her head and looked up.

"Not yet, but everyone's trying," she said and Alex nodded. She looked around hopefully then back at Molly.

"Gene?"

"Not yet."

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Jack quickly finished getting dressed and jumped in the car. Of course when Alyssa texted him he was covered in dirt from sorting the garden for Rowan's wedding. He sighed. Perfect timing. He pulled up and looked around at all the people who had come to help. He threaded his way through the crowd, keeping an eye out for Alyssa's distinctive hair.

Gene frowned and turned and swept from the room. He climbed into the Quattro and drove to the restaurant. Alex had better be here, he thought as he stalked down the pavement. He flung open the door and went inside, his eyes unerringly finding Alex. He walked over to her.

"Sammy," he said, his tone dark.

Alex turned and immediately fixed her arms around him, hiding her face in his chest.

"He ran off from the nursery, they didn't notice until they sat him down for lunch. There's no way of knowing how long he had been missing for before they noticed," she told him. "No one has seen him since," she half-sobbed as she clung to him.

Alex turned her face to look up at him desperately. "We have to find him Gene, he's my baby boy," she said feeling her tears well up again.

"Ran off..." Gene echoed and growled low in his throat as he pulled Alex closer. "This is their fault with letting that bloody bullying continue. I'm tempted to go give them a piece of my mind and lock those bullies up, I don't care if they are only five years old."

He walked over to Lucy, taking Alex with him as he went. "We need to get out there and look, too," he told Alex. "I can't just wait here."

Alex clung to him tightly, she normally hated it when Gene got angry but in this case it was good; Gene fired up meant that they had a better chance of finding Sammy, he'd do anything he could to find Sammy, she knew that.

She nodded at him. "I know, I didn't expect you to do nothing," she said quietly and looked over at Molly.

"We should take Molls with us," she told him. "She can't sit here and worry," she said.

Gene nodded. "We'll take her and Peter, both," he decided and walked over to where the couple was.

"C'mon, let's go find Sammy," he said to them. Peter looked up and nodded and helped Molly stand.

"Let's go, Molls, we can't sit here and do nothing."

Molly looked up at Gene and then nodded as she stood shakily.

"Okay," she said as she looked at Peter and then to Alex and Gene. Alex reached out a hand and Molly took it, she squeezed lightly and Molly smiled weakly.

"We'll find him Molls, we'll find him," she said and Molly nodded again.

Lucy wound her way through the people, picking out groups of three, giving them a small map Whitney drew of where they'd already looked and a printout of Sammy's photo. She wished them luck and sent them on their way. She noticed the Guv come in, but kept going from group to group, getting the volunteers sorted.

\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Alyssa found the mugs and began setting up a table for making tea and coffee. She set an urn on the table along with tea bags and sugar and jugs of milk. She looked around and her attention was caught by Jack. She finished setting up the table and made her way over.

"It's awful, isn't it," she said to him quietly and sadly as she found her gaze drawn to Alex's face. "You have to help find him, Jack," she told him.

Jack slid an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I will, love, promise," he said and pressed a kiss against the top of her head and then leaned his head against hers. He waited a moment longer, enjoying the feel of holding her close and then lifted his head. "I should go talk to the boss then," he said and gestured at Lucy. He gave Alyssa a quick smile and then walked over to Lucy to join a group.

Alyssa nodded and stood for a moment watching him. She had to admit, his presence had calmed her and his small embrace had made her feel a little better. She shook her head slightly and turned to go back to what she was doing.

/\\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\

Ray left Denis kicking the ball around as he pulled out his phone. He frowned at the text from Rowan.

"You want us to come back? Or would C&D be in the way? x"

He looked up at Denis as the ball hit his leg and smiled as he kicked it back.

"I want them home and they'll want your help to look for Sammy," Rowan sent back. She went into the walk-in to get more meat for sandwiches and then went to lean in the kitchen doorway to see how things were progressing.

Ray nodded and pocketed his phone. He looked at the twins and grabbed up the ball.

"Come on, you two, your Mam wants you home," he told them and herded them towards the car. He drove them home and ushered them upstairs, he put a DVD on for them and gave them each a bowl of crisps then headed back downstairs. He sought out Rowan amongst the crowd and pulled her aside.

"Twins are upstairs watching a DVD, what's going on?"

Rowan looked up at Ray as she felt his hand on her arm.

"Sammy's gone missing; volunteers have been showing up here to help look for him. Apparently Lucy Beale got that started. I think Gene and Alex are around somewhere," she told him and pointed at Lucy. "She's putting groups together and I'm going to bring those two down here. Alyssa can help me with them and I want them where I can put my hands on them."

She smiled and then headed upstairs to get the twins. She grabbed the portable DVD player and herded them downstairs and sat them at the break table.

Ray nodded at her and watched her go. He looked around briefly before heading over to Lucy to offer to help.

Lucy looked at Jack and Ray as they approached her, then around at the few people left. She sighed. "Okay, you two go with Mo," she said since Lucy herself, Whitney and Bolton were going to be a team. Peter had taken Molly and sat her down in one of the booths to try and calm her down. If she went out again, it would no doubt be with her parents.

Mo looked up at Ray and Jack and smiled. "Well, well, lucky me, then," she grinned and Jack looked at Ray and visibly gulped. Mo turned and headed for the door.

"Who's driving then?" she asked and then stopped and looked back at them. "Let's go boys," she called and gestured at them.

Jack shrugged. "I'll drive," he said to Ray with a sigh. "Just our luck, eh?" He chuckled and followed after Mo.

Ray sighed and looked over his shoulder, he scowled at Alyssa as he caught sight of her face. He turned and followed Jack and Mo outside, they would find Sam.

Alyssa couldn't help but be amused that Jack and Ray had been grouped together with Mo, and the looks on their faces! She knew now was probably not the time for laughter but it had made her chuckle. She turned around and went to look for Rowan, she wasn't sure what else they could do now that almost all of the groups had gone.

"So, where we gonna start looking then?" Mo wanted to know. Jack glanced at her in the rear-view mirror, glad that he'd managed to get Ray to sit in the passenger seat. He did not want to sit next to Mo.

"We have a car so I'm going to drive a bit and then we'll turn around and work our way back," he told her.

"How would he have got out this far?" Mo snorted.

Jack glanced at Ray and rolled his eyes.

"He could get on a bus," Jack replied. He didn't want to add that Sam could have been taken. That wasn't something worth contemplating.

Ray frowned slightly. "They wouldn't let a five year old on a bus on his own surely?" he questioned. "Besides, what if he hasn't got any money with him?" he added with a shrug and sighed.

Ray turned in his seat to look at Mo. "We don't know how long he's been missing for anyway, he could have it could be minutes or it could be hours, if it's hours then he could be anywhere," he pointed out to her.

Ray blanched and looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye. He didn't trust Mo Harris one bit.

"We'll check anywhere we come across," he said as he kept watch out of the window. Surely with this many people looking they'd find Sammy soon.

Jack pulled up at a likely spot and stopped the car.

"Some of these houses look empty, we can check them out and then move on," he suggested.

Mo stood next to him. "Right, I'm with you, then."

Ray looked at Jack and Mo, then out the window at the houses around them. Jack thought that Sammy had got into one of them? Poor kid, he must be so scared.

"Right, I'll check that one then, we split up we'll cover more ground quicker," he said and gave Jack a small apologetic look, he had no desire to be stuck with Mo any longer.

He shut his car door and stalked off towards one of the houses.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\

Lucy looked around at the now nearly empty restaurant.

"Okay, guess it's our turn now," she said to Whitney and Bolton.

She walked over to Rowan. "If anyone else turns up can you guys just put them in small groups, give them a map and a printout and send them along?"

Rowan nodded.

"We'll have food ready for everyone later," she offered.

Lucy gestured at Whitney and Bolton and headed for the door.

"Darren, I really wish you'd brought a car, all this walking!" Jodie sighed and looked at Poppy. "Pops and I are getting tired," she complained and took Poppy's arm.

"Well, I didn't think about it and I'm not sure Max would have let me," he told Jodie and moved a bit ahead of them. He loved Jodie, but he wished someone else had got stuck with the pair of girls. They were doing his head in.  
>Poppy nodded in agreement with Jodie. "Really tired," she put in.<p>

She turned to Jodie as she realised that they were going to keep walking and sighed heavily. "My feet ache Jodes, we need to stop," she said.

"I want to sit down, too, Darren," Jodie complained. "Can't you call Max and get him to bring a car over? Or we could call Charlie Slater," she suggested and looked at Poppy.

Darren looked at the two girls. He could call Tam and Afia and let Jodie and Poppy go sit and rest somewhere.

"I'll call Charlie for you," he told them after he quickly sent off a text to Tamwar begging for help.

Jodie flung her arms around Darren. "Thank you, Darren, you're a prince," she enthused.

Poppy beamed at Darren as she sat down on a nearby wall and slid off her shoes and held them by the straps as she wiggled her toes. She let out a small wail.

"My nail varnish has chipped," she exclaimed sadly as she leant down to inspect the damage.

Jodie gasped and bent to inspect Poppy's toe.

"We'll have to go to the salon and get that fixed," Jodie told her seriously.

Poppy nodded."I know Jodes," she wailed sadly.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\

Rowan kept business for the searching volunteers. Any customers that came in, she told them what was going on and asked them to join the search. Most agreed, some left.

She smiled at Poppy and Jodie as they came in behind Charlie.

"How is the search going?" she asked them as she handed them cups of tea.

"Very tiring, there's just too much looking to do," Jodie said wearily and took the tea.

"Well, you girls can get sandwiches or something off Alyssa over there," she said and gestured to where Alyssa was sitting near the buffet table, talking to the twins.

Lucy became more discouraged as more time passed and no one seemed to have seen any sign of Sammy. How was that even possible? Unless he was taken. She hated thinking of it, but too many people near the nursery hadn't seen a small boy wandering around on his own with an overstuffed backpack.

She sighed and climbed back into the car and waited for Whitney and Bolton to return so they could go back to the diner.

Gene squinted in the gloaming, his expression still angry. So far, no sign of Sammy. He could see Alex sitting next to him and he almost knew what she was thinking, Sammy had been taken as he wandered around. That was why no one had seen any sign of him.

"I'm taking you lot home, you need to rest. I'll go out looking some more," he said and turned in the direction of the flat.

Peter met Gene's gaze in the rear view mirror and almost offered to go along until he saw the almost imperceptible shake of Gene's head. He nodded slightly back. He understood. Gene wanted someone to stay with them, someone who wasn't falling apart.

Alex sat silently in the car on the way home. So many thoughts were running through her head that she just couldn't voice. She couldn't believe that they were true. She sat for a moment in the car as Gene pulled up outside the flat then finally got out. She looked up at the house and blindly opened the door. She headed straight for Sammy's room and went and curled up on his bed, pulling her son's favourite toy against her chest.

Molly went and sat windowsill, hugging a cushion she stared hopefully out of the window, surely he'd work out the way home? He knew the car journey from home to nursery, he watched out of the window the entire way! She knew he was only 5 but there was still a chance.

Peter watched as Alex and Molly went into separate rooms and sighed. He went and sat next to Molly and wrapped his arms around her.

"He'll be found, Molly, he has to be," he said soothingly as he stroked her hair.

Molly leant against him and clung to his shirt.

"But you hear about it don't you? And see it on the news," she said quietly. "All those kids that go missing that never get found," she whispered to him.

"Yeah, but those kids aren't Sam. Look who his parents are! If someone wanted to grab him they'd have to catch him first," he said, keeping his tone upbeat. "He's probably just lost and hiding somewhere. We'll find him."

He tightened his arms around her.

Molly nodded silently and looked towards Sammy's room. She pulled her head off his chest and looked up at him.

"I want to stay here tonight," she told him. "I don't want to leave Mum on her own."

"I hadn't planned on us going anywhere else," he assured her. "C'mon, let's get you to bed," he said and walked her into the bedroom. He helped her into bed next to her mum & then went and stretched out on the couch.

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Poppy had put her shoes back on in the car but they still ached. She headed over to the buffet table and smiled as she was handed a plate. Alyssa looked at Jodie and Poppy hopefully.

"Do you know if anyone's found him yet?" she asked.

Poppy shook her head. "No," she said. "It's so sad isn't though," she continued and Alyssa nodded.

"It is, yes," she said in a quiet voice, she understood why Rowan wanted the twins where she could see them, one child missing was enough.

Poppy studied Alyssa. "You work in that Salon don't you?" she asked and Alyssa nodded.

"Yes, why?"

"Well I took my shoes off earlier and my nail varnish has chipped and you know what it's like, you try to paint over it with a colour that's similar and it's not quite the same shade and then when you wear your sandals people notice and point it out, and I don't know about you but that makes me really uncomfortable, when people point out the different red over the chip," Poppy told Alyssa earnestly.

Alyssa hid her smile slightly and nodded along understandingly. "You want an appointment for a pedicure?" she deduced and Poppy nodded.

"Wow! You must be really clever! I didn't even ask!" she said and turned around to looked for Jodie "Jodes!" she called out and gestured at Alyssa "She's psychic!" she exclaimed.

Alyssa looked at Poppy incredulously then turned to Rowan, her mouth slightly agape.

Jodie gasped and turned around at Poppy's announcement. She walked over to Alyssa.

Rowan widened her eyes and met Alyssa's surprised gaze with her own and immediately clamped her lips together to keep from laughing.

"If she's psychic, Pops, maybe she could tell you where you will meet your ideal man," Jodie suggested breathlessly. She clasped her hands together and looked at Alyssa hopefully.

"You could do that, couldn't you? Tell Poppy where she can meet 'The One'?"

The twins both looked at Alyssa, their mouths wide "o's" of surprise. "You're sykit, Auntie Lyss?" Claire wanted to know.

Rowan stifled a groan and put her face in her hand.

Poppy's eyes widened and she turned back to Alyssa, her mouth open excitedly.

"Could you do that? Really?" she asked, her tone full of hope.

Alyssa looked from Poppy to Jodie helplessly then at Rowan. Claire's question made Alyssa look down and she stared at Claire and Denis. She shook her head at them and looked back up at Poppy and Jodie.

"I'm not psychic," she said to them apologetically.

"Oh," said Poppy sadly as her face fell dramatically. Alyssa couldn't help but feel a little bad for her, Poppy may have got the wrong end of the stick, but she had just got her hopes up just to have them crushed.

"But," she said quickly and Poppy looked back up at her. "You will find someone, I promise you," she smiled.

Poppy's eyes widened. "You really think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," Alyssa said with a small smile.

Poppy smiled widely and nodded as she looked back at Jodie. "She says she's not psychic," she explained to Jodie, still a little sad "But she still thinks that I'll find 'The One'" she sighed as her expression went dreamy.

Alyssa looked down at the twins. "I am not psychic, okay," she said to them quietly with a small smile.

Claire and Denis looked at each other and then back at Alyssa and watched as she comforted Poppy.

Jodie slid an arm around Poppy's shoulders. "See, she thinks you're going to find 'The One'," she reassured, gazing at Poppy in concern.

Poppy nodded hopefully at Jodie and a small smile graced her lips. "I hope I find someone as amazing as your Darren, Jodes," she sighed.

"You will, Pops. You will." Jodie smiled and nodded back and then smiled at Alyssa before leading Poppy away.

Claire looked at Alyssa. "Okay, but what's sykit?" she wanted to know. Denis nodded, his expression curious.

"If you're psychic it means that you know what's going to happen before it happens, like seeing the future," she explained to them. "But I'm not psychic," she told them hastily, she didn't want them getting ideas.

"Ohhh," Claire said. "Okay."

Rowan walked over, glancing at the girls as they walked away so that Charlie could take them home.

"That was..." she said and trailed off then shook her head. She wasn't even going to finish that sentence, not with the twins right there. They would surely repeat it.

Alyssa watched Jodie lead Poppy away and turned her attention to the twins.

Alyssa looked up at Rowan and nodded. "Uh huh," she agreed. "It was." Alyssa looked over at Poppy and Jodie and a chuckle escaped her. She looked at Rowan and leaned towards her a little. "She didn't make her pedicure appointment," she said quietly.

Rowan snorted a laugh.

"Of course she didn't."

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Bolton carefully put an arm around Whitney's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"C'mon," he told her gently. "Lets go and refuel and work out what to do next from there," he told her as he ushered her back into the car.

Whitney nodded and followed Bolton back to the car where Lucy waited. She drove them all back and climbed slowly from the car. She watched them go inside and leaned against the door. She was going to have to take the car back to the station. She sighed and went into the restaurant to see if any progress had been made. It seemed not.

She thanked Rowan and Alyssa for their help and left to take the car back. She walked dejectedly through the station until she got to the main room and went inside. Chris was there, by himself. Everyone else had gone home or was still out searching. She went over to him and took his face in her hands and kissed him. He broke off the kiss and looked at her.

"Sure we should do this here?" he asked as he stood up. Her answer was another kiss. Chris wrapped his arms around her and moved with her to the corner as her hands moved to the waist of his trousers.

Jack went back to the car as darkness fell. He looked at Ray and Mo.

"Anything?" he asked them. Mo shook her head.

"Nothing yet, no sign of the little fella."

"We should get back then. Surely they'll have other people, fresher people, looking now that it's dark," he suggested. He was missing Alyssa and holding her close reminded him he was missing her in more ways than one.

Ray nodded as he collapsed into the his seat in the car.

"Yeah, we're no good if we're falling asleep, we'll miss stuff," he agreed.

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Jack walked over to Rowan and Alyssa. He wanted to hug Alyssa, but compromised by just standing close.

"Still nothing," he told her. "I'll go out tomorrow with the others," he said. "You could come with me."

Alyssa nodded. "I will," she agreed. "He needs to be found, and the more people looking the better."

She looked up at him and frowned a little, he looked tired. She reached out and patted his arm lightly "Come on, we should go home, you look exhausted" she said to him.

Jack nodded.

"You look pretty tired yourself," Jack observed and after a quick wave at Rowan & Ray, he led her out to the car.

Rowan smiled at the two of them and then followed the twins who had bolted across the room to their father.

"I'm going to close up, but I'll put out free food and drink for the volunteers again tomorrow," she told Ray. "It's the least I can do."

By the time Rowan reached him, Ray had a twin securely tucked under each arm. He smiled tiredly at her and nodded. "They'll appreciate it, Ro," he told her sincerely.

She grinned. "Your mother can help me since I think Alyssa is going out looking with Jack tomorrow. On a more pleasant note, I found my dress."

He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. "Dare I ask how much it cost you?" he asked her warily.

Rowan grinned. "Of course you can ask, but I won't answer."

She followed Jack & Alyssa to the door & locked it behind them, turned off the lights & followed Ray upstairs.

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Louisa looked back at Gem.

"C'mon Gem, I see the way to the exit now," she said. Gem frowned at her. What in the world had possessed her to get on a plane and fly to this noisy place? Just because Rowan was getting married, no good reason. The girl should come home and have a proper handfasting. She followed Louisa outside and her eyes narrowed and for a moment, she missed her farm and the quiet and open space.

She lifted her head and steeled her resolve. This place would not get the best of her. She climbed into the taxi next to Louisa and sighed.

"Rowan is going to be so surprised when she sees you," Louisa crowed.

"Yes, won't she just," Gem echoed. She stared at the window while Louisa babbled on excitedly, finally engaging the driver in conversation when Gem seemed unresponsive. Though the driver was having considerable difficulty understanding Louisa, and the feeling was mutual. She paused in conversation to open her wallet and looked at a photo of Junior and the boys. She would miss them, but it was only for a few days and how exciting was this!

"Stop this car," Gem finally barked and the driver quickly pulled over and looked back at the two women.

"Gem, what's the matter?"

"I'm gonna walk for a bit. Been cooped up for too long."

"But I think we're almost there," Louisa said, her tone slightly worried.

"Fine, remember where I got out and you can come find me when you've a mind to," she snapped and slammed the taxi door and began to walk off down the street.

Louisa shared a look at the driver and shrugged.

"She knows her own mind, go on along," she told the driver.

Louisa climbed out of the taxi and thanked the driver as he got their suitcases out for her. She turned, stuck her hands on her hips and looked up at the restaurant with a sharp nod of her head. Just like her mother. She adjusted her overstuffed bag over her shoulder, opened the door, grabbed up the suitcases and went inside.

Rowan was at the counter and her jaw dropped as she saw Louisa come through the door. She let out a small squeal and ran towards her friend.

"I made it," Louisa said as Rowan's arms flew around her.

"So good to see you. I'm glad you could come," Rowan said and after a few minutes, let her friend go.

"Ray's mother is staying here, so she's got the spare room, but there's plenty of room upstairs where the twins sleep. Claire has said you can have her bed and she is going to have a camp out on the couch, her words not mine," Rowan said with a chuckle.

She looked down at the suitcases.

"Two?" and Louisa shrugged. "You can help me carry them then, can't you?" she said and grinned, changing the subject. She wanted Gem to be a surprise.

Rowan picked up one of the suitcases and led Louisa up to the flat. Louisa looked around.

"So, this is home?"

Rowan nodded.

"Bit small isn't it?"

Rowan looked at her. "It's big enough for us," she snorted.

"I'm just kidding, gracious Goddess, Rowan calm down," Louisa said with a giggle.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just getting nervous."

"Why, think Ray won't show up?" Louisa joked and then caught the expression on Rowan's face. "You cannot be thinking that."

Rowan looked down. "I know, but I can't help it sometimes. I guess no matter what you think strange things before the wedding," she admitted.

"Very strange. Now, where is everyone?"

"The twins are at nursery and Ray's at work. His mother is downstairs helping out. The son of a good friend went missing on Friday. The whole Square has been out there, trying to help find him, nothing so far."

"Oh no," Louisa sighed.

Rowan nodded. "So, I've been doing my part by providing free food and drink to all the volunteers. It's one small thing I can do. My sister Alyssa and her husband started taking out boxes I packed up so that people wouldn't have to come all the way back here until they're done."

"Well what are we standing around here for then? You got another hand."

Rowan smiled and led Louisa down to the kitchen.

"Maggie, this is my very dear friend Louisa. We grew up together. She's come for the wedding and she's going to help us out here. Only I don't know how long she'll be good for after such a long plane ride," Rowan introduced. "And Louisa, this is Ray's mother, Maggie."

Louisa put on a brave face and smiled. "I'm okay for a few hours yet," she drawled. "Nice to meet you," she said to Maggie.

Maggie looked up from what she was doing and smiled brightly at Louisa and Rowan.

"You too sweetheart," she smiled and looked at Rowan.

"Any news on little Sammy?" she asked hopefully.

Rowan shook her head.

"No, I just got a text from Lyss and another from Ray. They've moved farther out from the Square, but it's getting harder to make sure they've not passed him at some point. They've run across a few people who have seen him, so at least we know he's still out there & wasn't taken yet," she sighed.

"I reckon the ma is going a bit crazy," Louisa said. "I'm sure I would if one of my boys went missing."

Rowan nodded. "I haven't heard from Alex but Shaz says Gene looks like he hasn't slept."

"It's busy at this time of day too, they're likely to miss him amongst crowds," Maggie sighed.

Maggie looked up at Louisa and nodded. "Ray went missing one time, he was only gone for about half an hour, but I was panicking like god knows what," she said with a small smile. "Turns out he'd gone to the sweet shop to get some of Mrs Robinson's special homemade vanilla fudge, taken all of his pocket money and came back grinning. I was relieved for about a minute before I was mad at him," she smiled.

"I saw Alex's lass earlier. Molly isn't it?" Maggie put in. "She didn't look so good, determined but..." she trailed off and sighed. "I hope they find the poor lad soon."

"I don't think she's coping well either," Rowan agreed.

She went over to the oven and pulled out a roast and began slicing it.

"Can you hand me those rolls, Lou?"

Louisa nodded and picked up the basket and set it down next to Rowan.

"How was your flight?"

"Fine, long," Louisa replied with a chuckle. "Junior acts like he won't be able to get along without me. I pointed out JT and Roxy are both in the same house and JT is actually a better cook than me."

"Junior always was high maintenance, better you than me," Rowan joked.

"If he doesn't trust JT's cooking, he can always go to Gem," Rowan reasoned.

Louisa blanched, but quickly hid it with a chuckle.

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Gem walked along, trying to find the rhythm of this place and adjust to it. She didn't like feeling out of sorts like this. It made her cranky, crankier than usual some would say, she was sure. She knew Rowan had moved to this country in the beginning out of something she thought was love. She had clearly made her home here on this strange soil. She walked along, listening to the traffic and the noise of people as it floated around her, listening to the thump of the soles of the sturdy boots she always wore.

A sharp feeling of loss and fear suddenly invaded the reverie she was creating. She looked around to see a small blond boy standing not far away, clutching an overstuffed backpack. He'd clearly been crying. Gem quickly walked over and despite her years, gracefully knelt before the boy.

"You look mighty lost to me, little man," she observed. "Ain't nobody tried to help you find your ma and pa?" she asked gently as she rested her hands on her knees.

Sammy looked up at the lady cautiously. He lived in London, he knew well enough that in London no one stopped to see if you were okay, he'd learnt that much over the last few days. People had brushed past him and completely ignored him. He'd wandered around trying to find something that looked familiar, but he hadn't. He'd asked someone to take him to the police station because that's where his Daddy would be but no one had paid any attention to him. Now here was this lady with a funny voice that he didn't know asking if he was all right.

Sammy clutched his bag a little tighter and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I don't know where I am," he added quietly as he looked at her. "I want my Mummy and my Daddy," he said into the material of the bag.

Gem nodded, her arms resting comfortably on her knees.

"Well, I reckon I should help you then," she said, trying to speak more clearly. The look on the boy's face was the one she had to seen on Ray's face when he didn't understand her.

"My name is Gem. I'm on my way to visit some family here. A girl I raised when her folks passed on. She'll know who to call. I think you can tell I'm not from these parts," she said & smiled.

"Now, you tell me your name and we'll be introduced."

"Sam Hunt," he told her. "But everyone calls me Sammy," he offered as he watched her curiously.

"Mighty nice to make your acquaintance, Sammy," Gem said. She held out her hand to him and looked around for one of the black cabs she and Louisa had been riding in earlier. She finally spotted one and stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle before waving at it. The cab quickly pulled over.

"You too," Sammy said back politely.

Gem looked down at Sam. "Hop in," she said to him and climbed in after.

"Walford Diner, please," she told the driver politely.

Sammy settled himself in the seat of the cab next to the window, still clutching tightly at his bag. He looked up sharply at the mention of Walford.

"My sister lives in Walford," he told her.

She looked down at Sammy's comment.

"I tried to look for signs, but I don't know how to spell it," he added quietly. "Mummy's only taught me how to spell names."

"Do you know my girl, then, Rowan?" Gem wanted to know. She remembered the name Hunt from Rowan's letters and JT and Roxy both had spoken of police they were somewhat friendly with by that name. Gem was sure it wasn't coincidence and if he knew Rowan well then knowing Gem was a relation might set his mind more at ease. At least she hoped so.

Sammy looked back at her and nodded eagerly. "She makes nice food," he told her. "Her pancakes are the best! Mummy likes her chocolate muffins," he explained. Sammy dangled his feet over the edge of the seat and kicked them idly for a moment before looking back up at Gem.

"She talks a bit like you," he observed.

"Ray works with my Mummy and Daddy, he's marrying Rowan," he told Gem knowledgeably.

"What are you doing away from home ?" Gem wanted to know.

Sammy looked down. "I don't like nursery. So I escaped and was going to Molly's, but I got lost," he told her.

Gem smiled gently as the words began to tumble from his mouth. Nope, she hadn't lost her touch. Though, why little ones didn't fear her when their parents did was beyond her.

"I reckon she would talk a bit like me, we're from the same place as it happens," Gem agreed. "And I should hope she can make nice food, I taught her how to make it."

"Rowan getting married is why I'm here," she told him and then leaned over conspiratorially. "Only she's not in the way of knowing that I'm here, it's in the way of being a surprise."

Sammy looked up at her and nodded seriously. "Like a secret," he said.

"That will happen, specially when you cain't read," she said. "But why wouldn't you like nursery? I assume there's other little ones to play with?"

Sammy frowned at her. "I can read," he insisted. "Mummy and I read a lot, I just don't know the word Walford," he said unhappily.

Sammy shook his head, then nodded then frowned again. "There others there," he agreed. "They just never play with me," he mumbled and squeezed his bag tighter and pulled his legs up onto the seat as he began to get upset again.

Gem listened intently and nodded along.

"Yes, indeedy," Gem said.

Gem rummaged in the bag Louisa had insisted she bring and pulled out a piece of paper and wrote "Walford" on it. She handed it to Sammy. "That says 'Walford'," she told him with a sharp nod.

"Why on earth would they not want to play with a nice little man such as yourself?" Gem wanted to know. She glanced out the window as they stopped at a light and gestured at some boys playing in a park.

"Do you know them?" she asked curiously.

Sammy took the paper and looked at the word curiously. He recognised the letters and folded the paper carefully and put it into his pocket for safekeeping. "Thank you," he said to her.

He shrugged at her and sighed heavily.

Sammy lifted his head and looked out of the window too. He watched them for a moment then sank back into his seat and nodded. "Yes," he replied glumly.

"Driver, could you pull over please," she asked and at the look on his face, she frowned. The driver's eyes widened at Gem's expression and he quickly pulled to the curb. Gem opened the taxi door and ushered Sammy out of the taxi. She leaned over at the open window.

"You just wait, we won't be long," she told the driver and he nodded quickly. Gem took Sammy's hand and led him over towards the boys. The boys caught sight of Sammy and rushed over wanting to know where he'd gone, had he been kidnapped, had this lady rescued him, where had he been, did he know practically everyone in Walford was looking for him, had he been scared...

Gem stepped back and let the boys talk. After a couple of minutes, the boys calmed.

"We're playing footie, wanna join the game?" one of them asked. Gem walked over at that point and put a hand on Sammy's shoulder.

"We should let your ma and pa know you're okay, first, you young men will be here for some time won't you?" she asked. The boys nodded.

She looked down at Sammy. "What do you think?"

He looked up at her happily and nodded. He waved to the other boys as he made his way back to the taxi with Gem. The other boys had actually wanted to talk to him and play with him. Now all he wanted was his parents.

"Are we still going to see Rowan?" he asked her, he hadn't really eaten since he had left the Nursery and he was feeling hungry.

Gem helped Sammy back into the cab.

"Of course we are," Gem assured him. "And she can let your folks know you're okay," she added. She gestured at the driver to move along.

Gene sat in the car and stared at the park where the "bullies" were playing. It was their fault his son was gone and he could do nothing about it. He lit up another smoke with a sigh.

"Sammy-Boy, where are you?"

Lucy sat at her desk, poring over the map of the search areas, marking in where they'd already looked. They must be just missing him. It was frustrating. She hated seeing the Guv and DI Hunt like this, they'd done so much for her.

"Any joy?" Chris asked her. She looked at her phone and shook her head.

"We're still getting people who saw Sammy at one point, but never soon enough that we could get him."

Ray came out of the kitchen carefully balancing three mugs on a tray. He hadn't seen much of Alex or Gene all weekend. He kept getting texts from Alex begging for news, begging for him to say that they had found Sammy. He felt so helpless that he couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear, he tried every time to give her some glimmer of hope, but those glimmers were fast running short.

He headed over to Lucy's desk and set the tray down, spreading the mugs out so that Chris and Lucy both had one as well as himself. He glanced at the map.

"Anything new?" he asked as he searched it for something that hadn't been there the last time he had looked.

"No," Lucy said simply, her tone dejected as she hung her head. She pointed her pen at the map. "Look at these gaps, he could be so close to the Square and just slipping past the people looking for him. He probably hides in an empty house or something at night," she shook her head and then banged her fists on the desk.

"It's just so bloody frustrating!"

Chris patted her on the shoulder, being careful not to be overly familiar in front of Ray. "There, there, you're doing loads."

Ray sighed and let Chris comfort her.

"Well, we know that he's out there somewhere. We've got Tonnes of people looking for him. We'll find him Lucy, don't get yourself worked up," he said gently.

"We need everyone to keep as cool as possible, for Gene and Alex's sakes if nothing else."

"Yes, but they're not here now, so I can have a tantrum without upsetting them," Lucy retorted and then picked up her tea and took a sip. She glanced up at them.

"I'm surprised no one has taken issue with me for sort of being in charge. I wasn't trying to take over, I thought I could help get things started and then the Guv or DI Hunt would take over," she said wearily. "But they never did, and nobody else took it over, so I had to keep it going."

"They all think you're following the Guv's orders," Chris told her. "That you're passing along what he says. They're pretty impressed that you're working so hard. They seemed to think you wouldn't," he added and picked up his tea.

"I better get back to it," he said and left to go back to his desk.

Ray watched Chris go and then looked back at Lucy.

"Besides, it's all good experience for you, and you're managing okay," he told her and patted her shoulder. "You're doing a good job Lucy, just keep your head and keep going," he told her.

Lucy looked up at Ray gratefully. "As long as others don't think I'm trying to get above myself or something," she said ruefully and made a face.

"I just hope we find him," she sighed and gazed back down at the map.

Ray shook his head. "Listen, if you can take charge in a situation like this and have no one challenge you, then you know that you're doing a good job," he told her.

"Yeah, well, only because it's the Guv's son and everyone is preoccupied," she said and took a drink of her tea.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Alyssa sat back down in the car after handing out the last box that Rowan had given them and sighed heavily. They'd been looking for Sammy all weekend and he still hadn't been found. She knew that Molly had taken it on herself to keep looking and she was sure that Peter was glued to her side. Alex had looked awful last time that she had seen her too, Alyssa knew she had been crying: her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. She hoped Sammy was found soon, people had recognised his picture but no one could say for certain where he was.

She looked out of the car door at Jack.

"Lets go back to Rowan's and get something to eat, then we can see if there's any more news," she suggested.

Jack nodded.

"Sounds as good an idea as any," he said agreeably.

"Isn't that mate of hers supposed to get here today?" he asked as he slid behind the wheel of the car. He sighed slightly as he started it up. He really wished Alyssa would let him show her how to drive so he didn't have to drive all the time.

He drove them back to the restaurant and took her hand as they went inside. One thing good thing to come out of this, she was letting him touch her again, granted, only holding hands and the occasional peck on the cheek, but she seemed to be gradually forgiving him, for which he was very grateful.

He waved as he walked in the mostly empty place. Monday was usually buzzing, but Rowan's staunch support of the Hunts by requiring her customers to go join the search meant there weren't many people about.

"We have delivered all the food and have had no more news. How about you?" Jack wanted to know.

"No, nothing," Rowan told him. "I think Lucy is going nuts," Rowan added and pointed at the map Lucy had hung on the wall. "She can't understand why he can't be found with so many people looking."

Louisa came out of the kitchen with a tray of brownies and smiled at the newcomers. "Hello," she greeted.

Rowan glanced back. "Oh, Jack, Lyss, this is Louisa, my best friend when I was growing up," she told them.

Alyssa glanced at the map and sighed. "He must just be slipping through gaps, we know he's still somewhere in the area, people have seen him." She looked up at Louisa and smiled as she slid her hand into hers. "Lovely to meet you."

Louisa quickly put the tray down. "I'm so glad to finally meet you," she drawled and grabbed Jack's hand to shake it. Jack chuckled.

"It's good to meet you, too," he said and shook her hand back. He caught sight of Maggie and excused himself so Louisa and Alyssa could shake hands.

"I've heard so much about you," Louisa gushed at Alyssa. "I'm so glad she's got a good friend here."

Rowan rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You're getting to be as bad as Gem," Rowan scolded and nodded at some search volunteers who came in. She followed them to a table.

Louisa watched her go and then looked back at Alyssa.

"Tell me she's as happy as she seems," Louisa half-begged.

Alyssa frowned slightly at Louisa and looked over at where Rowan was busy serving.

"I think so, she's just a little worried about the wedding and worried about Sammy," she said.

"But she's happy," Alyssa said with a small nod.

Louisa smiled hugely. "Good. No one was sure. She always had such..." Louisa trailed off and shrugged, "unusual expectations. I know she came to visit and we all saw how they were together, but, it's something completely different to see her, you know, at home. And now with the children, and the wedding, well," she glanced over at Rowan who was still busy and leaned closer to Alyssa. "Rowan doesn't know yet, but Gem's come with me. She didn't like being in the taxi, so she's walking for a little while, trying to adjust to this place. It's a surprise, so don't tell her."

"Trust me, she's happy," Alyssa promised her.

Alyssa's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she beamed and pressed her lips shut. "I won't say a word," she promised.

"Maggie, My Treasure, please tell me you have made me a proper cup of tea?" he pleaded as he walked towards her.

Maggie looked up at Jack, shook her head briefly, and pushed the mug towards him. "Here," she smiled at him and looked up at him hopefully. "Don't suppose you've got any news?" she asked him.

Jack shook his head. "Same everywhere we go, they saw him yesterday or maybe the day before or maybe a few hours ago. It's very frustrating."

He drank down half the tea and sighed. "Oh, that hits the spot," he told her and handed her back the cup. He walked over to Alyssa.

Maggie sighed and nodded. "Everyone else is saying the same thing," she told him.

Maggie took the mug back and put it in the washer as she watched him go.

"I'm going to go find Gene again and see if I can't convince him to close his eyes for five minutes. He's going to kill someone at this rate," he whispered to her and squeezed her shoulder.

Alyssa nodded at him. "Okay, try to get him to eat something as well," she told him.

"Not sure how successful I'll be," Jack sighed and left. This time of day Gene was probably parked outside the nursery, waiting to see if Sammy would come walking up.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Gem eyed the diner as they pulled up in front of it and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She climbed out of the cab and helped Sammy out. She dug into the bag Louisa had made her carry and found some money. She counted some bills out and handed them to the driver before leading Sammy into the restaurant.

Rowan turned as she heard the door open and walked around to see who had come in. She saw Gem and the tray she was carrying fell from her hands and clattered to the floor. Gem smiled.

"Hello, my girl," Gem greeted. Rowan flung herself at Gem and squeezed. Gem chuckled and wrapped her arms around the girl. Rowan let go and looked over at Louisa.

"You could have told me," Rowan accused and Louisa grinned.

"She told me not to," Louisa said and spread her hands in surrender. Rowan shook her head and looked back at Gem.

"I had to be here for your wedding didn't I?" Gem asked her. "Oh, I found a stray while I was on my way here."

She moved away slightly from Rowan and gestured at Sammy. Rowan's jaw dropped.

"Sammy?" she gasped. "Lyss, call Gene and Alex, Gem's found Sammy," she called over. She eyed Gem a moment. The woman did always seem to be in the right place at the right time.

Rowan knelt down in front of the boy. "Are you hungry?" she asked him quietly.

Sammy nodded at Rowan. "Yeah," he told her. "Can I have a drink too?" he asked her. "Please," he added quickly.

Rowan nodded. "Of course, you can have whatever you want."

She straightened up and led him over to a table.

"Wait right here," she told him and left him standing next to the table.

Alyssa immediately whipped out her phone and sent a text to Jack. He said he had gone to search for Gene, and she knew that Gene didn't actually own a phone. She fired off a text to Ray so that he could let the station know then dialled Alex's number.

"Hello," came the morose response.

"Alex!" Alyssa said, relief filling her. "Sammy's at the Restaurant," she said.

"What!" Alex sat bolt upright and grabbed up her car keys "I'm on my way!"

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Jack pulled up behind the Quattro. He looked at the car for a moment and then got out of his own car and walked over.

"You really need to eat and rest," Jack said his tone slightly scolding.

"I have to find Sammy," Gene snapped.

"You're not going to do any good if you collapse from no sleep and no food."

Gene glared at him. "I'm fine."

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Ray frowned at Lucy. "Stop putting yourself down," he told her and grabbed his phone as it beeped. His frown deepened. "You sure?"

Alyssa snorted at the text back from Ray. "Yeah, coz I'd make it up wouldn't I?"

Ray sighed at Alyssa's text and then smiled. He turned to Lucy.

"Chin up, Sammy's been found," he told her.

Lucy beamed at Ray and tossed the map aside.

"Thank goodness for that," she said and began to send out texts to her friends amongst the searchers so the groups could all go back to what they were doing.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Alex drove like a maniac through Walford until she pulled up outside Rowan's. She gazed at the window and could see him. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she ran out of the car and bolted into the restaurant, grabbing her son up off the floor and holding him tight to her. His little arms came around her neck as she hugged him fiercely, tears falling.

"Don't ever run off like that again, Sammy!" she choked out as finally set him back on the floor and knelt opposite him, she stroked his hair as she checked him over. "You're okay, you're okay," she murmured and then looked at his face.

"Do you feel okay?" she asked him. He nodded. "Just hungry," he said and she nodded.

"Where's Daddy?" Sammy asked her quietly and she pulled him into another hug, kissing his sand coloured hair. "He'll be here sweetheart, he'll be here," she promised him.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\

Gem looked around the restaurant and sat down. Louisa walked over and sat down with her.

"I'm told she's happy," Louisa said and Gem looked at her.

"Of course she's happy," Gem snorted. She glanced over at Sammy. "He will be soon enough."

They all turned to look as Alex came bursting into the restaurant. Rowan smiled and carried over the plate with a sandwich and chips on it and a glass of chocolate milk in the other hand. She put it on the table and smiled at Alex.

"Gem happened across him. She said he was standing at a bus stop and crying."

Alex gestured for Sammy to sit down and eat and she smiled up at Rowan and brushed at her eyes. "I should thank her," she said.

Sammy looked up at his mother and pointed at Gem. "That's her over there, she's very nice," he said with a smile as he ate hungrily.

"Hey!" Alex said with a small frown. "Slow down Sammy, you'll make yourself sick"

Alex pulled out her phone and sent a text to Molly.


	13. Chapter 13

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 13**

Jack gaped at the text from Alyssa and then looked at Gene.

"Sammy's at Rowan's, he's been found, Alyssa just texted me," he gasped. Gene narrowed his bloodshot eyes at Jack, not quite believing. He stared at Jack, whose gaze never wavered and then started his car and sped off down the street. Jack watched him go and smiled.

"Gene's on his way," Jack texted Alyssa and went back to his car.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Molly looked at her phone, gasped, then flung her arms around Peter with a small sob.

"He's been found!" she said in relief. "Mum's got him, he's okay," she said in a hushed voice.

"Well, then, let's go," Peter said and grabbed up the car keys.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Ray smiled back and picked up his phone.

"Everything okay with Sammy? Lyss says he's been found x"

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan waited until Alex was done with her phone and then led her over to Gem.

"Gem, this is Alex, she's Sammy's mother, Alex, this is Gem, she raised me after my parents died," Rowan told her.

Gem stood up and nodded at Alex.

"He's a good young man," Gem said. "Nice to meet you."

"That's Louisa, she was my best friend growing up," Rowan added and then walked back to the kitchen.

Louisa smiled up at Alex. "How are you?"

Alex smiled at Gem. "You too, and thank you," she smiled gratefully.

Alex turned to Louisa with a small smile. "Much better now, I haven't been so good for the last few days, but now," she looked back over at where Sammy was happily eating. She smiled and looked back at Louisa and Gem, shooting Gem another grateful smile. "Now I'm fine."

"Well, you are very welcome I'm sure," Gem said. "I do seem to happen across things."

Alex smiled. "I'm very glad that you did," she said sincerely.

She glanced across the table at Louisa and smiled.

She watched Gene walk in and grab up Sammy.

"Looks like someone else is also feeling better," she commented.

Alex turned around and sighed happily at the sight of Gene and Sammy. She glanced back at Gem and Louisa. "Excuse me," she said before hurrying over to her family.

Gene pulled up in front of the diner and quickly jumped out of the Quattro. He strode into the restaurant.

He caught sight of Sammy and rushed over. He grabbed the boy up from the seat and held him tight.

"If you didn't want to go to the match you should have said," Gene muttered to his son with a hoarse, half-chuckle, half-sob. He was so relieved to have his son back he couldn't even be angry that the boy had run off.

Sammy held onto his father. "I wanted to go to the football, but I didn't want to go to Nursery," he mumbled.

"Well, next time, stay at the nursery so you don't miss the football."

"I'm sorry," Sammy said quietly.

/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan read Ray's text and smiled. "Sammy's fine. Gem found him standing at a bus stop. She came along with Louisa," she sent back. She held back a chuckle. She wondered what Ray's reaction would be when he found out Gem was here.

"Will you be coming for lunch?" she sent.

Ray's eyebrows went up. Gem? He thought it was only Louisa that was coming over. He shrugged, that meant 3 fantastic cooks under one roof. No complaints from him.

"Depends who's cooking. You, Mam or Gem? ;)"

Rowan paused and looked at her phone. She shook her head at Ray's question.

"I don't know, if Gem gets in the kitchen she will kick everyone else out, including me," she sent back.

"Fair point. See you in a bit."

Ray looked over at Lucy. "You up for getting some lunch?" he asked her.

Lucy glanced up from folding the maps and tossing the lists of groups in the bin.

"Yes, I'm pretty hungry I think," she agreed and dropped the last of the papers and stood up.

Ray nodded and grinned at her. He led her outside and looked in on Chris in the main office as they passed it.

"We're going to get some lunch, you coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, sounds good," Chris said and followed them out.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Molly ran into the Restaurant and pulled Sammy from Gene's arms. She hugged her little brother tightly, ignoring his protests that she was squeezing too tightly.

"Moll-eeeee!" Sammy said grumpily as he struggled in her arms. She finally set him and down and planted a large kiss on his forehead "You had us all so worried Sammy!" she gushed out and he hung his head.

"I was going to yours," he mumbled. "I didn't want to be in nursery."

Molly sighed and pulled him into a gentler hug. "Oh Sammy," she half-chuckled.

Peter followed in behind Molly, glad to see her family finally back together. He walked over and ruffled Sammy's hair. "I guess you should learn the way to our place," he said. "You certainly got very lost."

Gene picked Sammy up and put him back in his seat. "Let him finish his food now."

He sat down next to his son. "In fact, I think I'll have something to eat, too," he decided. "Rowan, love, any chance of some food here?" he called over. Rowan looked over and nodded. She put a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Alex shook her head. "No, thank you," she said quietly as she watched Molly climb into the seat next to Sammy and steal a couple of chips from his plate. She looked at Rowan and smiled. "Thanks for all your help with trying to find him, Ro," she said and squeezed Rowan's hand before making her way over to the table and slipping into the seat next to Gene. She watched Sammy eat and couldn't help but smile at her son.

Alex slipped her hand into Gene's and squeezed it before looking up at his face with a small smile.

Rowan blew out a breath. "I didn't do that much," she said and waved her hand at Alex.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Jack walked into the restaurant and smiled at the sight of Alyssa. He walked over and took her hand.

"Hey, love," he said and slid a careful arm around her shoulders. "I'm thinking I could use some lunch."

Alyssa looked away from Gene, Alex and Sammy and looked up at Jack. She felt herself lean into him slightly and she smiled at him.

"You'd best talk to Rowan, then," she said to him flippantly.

Rowan walked back toward the kitchen, sending texts off to Syed and Trevor that Sammy had been found and she could use their help in the kitchen if they were able.

She stopped next to Jack and Alyssa.

"Either of you want anything?" she asked.

"I could do with some food, whatever you want to make," Jack said.

Rowan smiled. "Why don't you two sit down then," she suggested. Jack quickly grabbed one of the chairs at the table where Gem and Louisa were seated and pulled it out and gestured Alyssa to sit.

Alyssa looked at him once before taking the seat he had pulled out for her and sitting herself down.

Gem sat and quietly studied Jack and Alyssa, these people Rowan had chosen as family. She approved, though they seemed a bit troubled at the moment. They also seemed to be getting past it. She smiled to herself and took another drink of her iced tea.

"So, this wedding is to be at your house, so Rowan said," Gem finally spoke.

Jack nodded. "I've been working in the garden all week, well, except for when we were all looking for Sammy," he added.

Alyssa smiled and nodded as Jack spoke. She'd seen the work he'd done in the garden, although she hadn't really commented. She knew he'd nearly finished preparing it, the hedges were trimmed, the flowerbeds tended to. She'd stood and watched him from the kitchen window as he had gone around and removed all of the weeds he could find. All he had left to do was the lawn.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Ray climbed into his car and drove to the Diner, he strode inside, smiling at the sight of Sammy with Alex and Gene. He scanned around and smiled as he spotted Gem and Louisa sitting with Jack and Alyssa. He made his way over and pulled up a chair.

"So, what's new?" he asked with a grin.

"Hey, you," Louisa greeted and patted Ray's hand.

Ray smiled at Louisa. "Hiya."

"Hello, young man, hope you've been taking care of yourself and my girl," she said. "When do you plan to get her pregnant again, or have the pair of you decided two's enough?" Gem asked bluntly. Louisa snorted a laugh.

Ray nodded at Gem and then chuckled lightly. "We're good with just the two of them for now," he smiled at her.

Gem eyed Ray and then Rowan as she walked past and went into the kitchen.

"Just because you aint' having more though, don't mean you stop doing what brought em about in the first place," she stated and raised an eyebrow at Ray. "You best keep each other happy."

Ray nodded at her and shrugged. "I know, we will," he promised her with a small nod. Talking about this sort of stuff with Gem made him a little uncomfortable, but he knew that there wasn't much he could do to stop her.

Gem patted Ray's hand. "Long as you're both satisfied," she said affectionately and turned back to Jack and Alyssa. She looked at the pair of them and tilted her head.

Jack's mouth dropped open slightly. He wondered if they shouldn't sit somewhere else and glanced at Alyssa. Alyssa looked at Jack and shrugged.

Louisa looked at Jack and Alyssa. "She's plainspoken and nothing is forbidden territory, you get used to it," she whispered to them.

Alyssa nodded silently at Louisa as she kept her gaze fixed on Ray's face and tried not to laugh.

Jack breathed out a small laugh. "I can see that," he whispered back. Gem turned her attention to Jack. She looked him over carefully, the slightest smile on her face when he began to squirm a bit under her scrutiny. She looked at Alyssa.

"That boy needs to grow up," she remarked and then studied Alyssa a moment. "And you need to learn to not walk away so quickly. Finish an argument once in a while, you both might learn something."

Jack gaped at Gem and spluttered and looked at Alyssa. Even after all Rowan had told them about Gem, he wasn't sure how to quite deal with her. He had a feeling she wasn't easy to charm. He looked over at Ray. The man had no right to look so relaxed. Though, he'd met Gem before and spent quite a lot of time with her, no doubt, he'd gotten used to it.

Alyssa stared at Gem, but kept her mouth shut. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond, so she opted for silence.

"Nothing to say," she said blandly, shifting her gaze from one to the other. "Hmmm."

Rowan walked out with the food and smiled when she saw Ray. She placed Jack's plate down and went over to see what Chris and Lucy wanted.

Rowan hurried back into the kitchen.

"Ray's here, why don't you go join them. I'll be fine and Trevor and Syed will be here soon," she urged and began working on Chris and Lucy's food.

Maggie nodded and left Rowan to it. She moved out of the kitchen and spotted her son sitting down with Rowan's friend, Jack, Alyssa and a woman that Maggie didn't know. She stood next to Ray and frowned at him.

"Don't bother to come and see your Mam, then," she said in mock-irritation.

Ray gave her an apologetic look and rose to hug her. "Sorry Mam," he murmured. "Hi," he smiled as he gently pushed on her shoulder to make her take his seat. He went to grab another one and put it next to her and sat back down. He looked at Maggie then at Gem and Louisa then back to Maggie.

"D'you know everyone?" he asked her and Maggie shook her head as she looked at Gem and held out her hand.

"I don't believe we've met," she smiled. "I'm Ray's Mam, Maggie."

"Folks just call me Gem," Gem said and took Maggie's hand. "I raised Rowan after her parents died, but I expect you know that," Gem drawled.

Maggie nodded. "She's mentioned you a few times," she smiled.

"All bad, I'm sure," Gem said with a slow smile. "I do hope your son here is taking Rowan someplace nice after the wedding," Gem said and glanced at Ray.

Rowan walked out and put the plates down in front of Louisa and Jack and made a noise at Gem.

"Gem, if he is then it's a surprise, so leave it alone," she said.

Gem leaned back in her chair. "Well, I never..." she began, her tone one of mild outrage.

"I hardly think that's true, Gem, not from what I've heard," Rowan retorted.

"Now, don't pester him, let him eat," she said and leaned closer to Gem's ear. "And find a different subject, not everyone is comfortable with certain things being said in public."

Gem narrowed her eyes. "I will say what I will say."

"Just please not in public like this, okay," Rowan asked. She gestured at the others. "Not everyone wants everyone in the world to know their intimate details. So, pretty please?"

Gem sighed. "For you and for now."

She looked over and Jack and Alyssa again. "However, I still think those two should get past themselves and make up pretty quick."

Alyssa frowned at Gem and looked at Jack briefly.

Jack couldn't help but blush and looked down at his food. Rowan patted Gem's shoulder gratefully. She put her hands on Ray's shoulders and leaned over to his ear.

"You owe me for that, you can thank me later," she whispered in his ear and headed back to the kitchen, waving at Syed and Trevor as they came in.

Ray smiled at her and nodded. "I will," he promised her with a grin and watched her walk off. He smiled to himself until he noticed Maggie smiling broadly at him. He pulled a face at her and stood up.

Alyssa looked at Jack and then eased the fork from his grasp and took a mouthful of his meal.

Maggie watched Ray wander off then looked at Gem, she was certainly a very straightforward person.

Jack leaned over to Alyssa.

"Do you want some of this, I'm not sure I can eat it all now?" he asked softly.

Jack edged the pie over closer to Alyssa and picked up a chip and stuck it in his mouth. He and Alyssa needed to have a serious talk.

"So, um, about my hair for the wedding?" Louisa asked Alyssa, trying to get onto another subject.

Alyssa pulled the top off the pie and picked a piece of meat out of the middle. She looked up at Louisa and nodded.

"I can do it for you, or I can get one of the girls at the Salon if you'd prefer," she smiled.

"I didn't know if Rowan had anything set up already, she didn't say," Louisa glanced around. "Did she get a good dress?" she asked quickly.

Alyssa nodded eagerly. "It's beautiful," she gushed. "It took us a while to find, but it's perfect," she smiled.

Louisa smiled back. She couldn't wait to see it.

Lucy sat down near Gene and Alex. Chris followed her.

"How is he? Is he okay?" she wanted to know.

Alex nodded at Lucy and smiled. "He's fine," she replied, relief still filling her voice. "Just a little hungry," she said as she gestured at Sammy who was busy eating up his chips.

"Thank you by the way, for everything you did to help," she said gratefully.

"You're very welcome. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing," Lucy said. She glanced at Chris and he gave her a quick nod.

"Especially when the rest of us were a bit useless," Gene put in.

"No, you were upset," she was quick to reply. Gene shook his head.

"Yes, we were, but that's no excuse to lose our heads," he said and Lucy gave him a small smile and nodded.

Alex sighed, Gene was right but she couldn't help being out of her mind with worry.

"I'm just glad I could help out some," Lucy said. "I was starting to get really worried."

Whitney came bolting into the cafe and hurried over to Molly, quickly wrapping her arms around her friend as best she could.

"I just heard, I'm so glad for you," she said happily.

Molly hugged Whitney back and smiled at her happily. "Me too," she said quietly as she looked back at Sammy.

Sammy finally finished up his food and drank down all of his chocolate milk. Alex smiled at him as he yawned.

"Right, how about we get you home and have a bath?" she asked him and he nodded. "Yeah," he agreed.

Alex smiled. "Good, because you are a little stinky," she grinned at him.

"Yes, I have to say there is a certain odor hanging around," Gene agreed. "Let's get you a bath and then maybe a nap."

Gene swung Sammy up to his shoulders and sat him down securely. He grabbed hold of Sammy's legs. "Let's go."

Peter stood up and fished his wallet out of his pocket.

"I'll get this," he told Alex and waved her away. He looked at Molly.

"I have to get to the pub, so I'll see you later," he said and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. Whitney gave him a wave.

"You going with them?" Whitney asked with a gesture at Gene and Alex. "You can come around to mine if you want," she offered.

Molly waved at Peter and looked at Whit. "I'll come with you, Sammy's fine now," she smiled. "Besides, I want to know how you're coping with Jodie and Poppy," she teased.

Whitney looped her arm with Molly's. "Put it this way, I have done a lot of sewing since Poppy started working there. But the customers seem to like them. They think the girls are 'quirky' and that maybe it's just an act."

She giggled and led Molly out of the restaurant.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Ray wandered over to the kitchen and leant against the door frame and pulled a pathetic face.

"Ro, will you make me some lunch?" he asked her.

Rowan put down the pan she was holding and walked over to him.

"I was just getting ready to start it," she told him and tapped his lip. "Now I see where Claire gets that from," she told him. She pressed against him and looked up at him coyly. "I have sausages and mashed potatoes all ready," she told him. "I hope that will be okay."

Ray slid his arms around her and smiled.

"Sausages and mash is fine as long as there's gravy to go with it," he told her.

"Of course there's gravy, what do you take me for?" she asked him tartly.

Ray shrugged. "Had to check didn't I?" he said back. Ray smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss. "Hurry up, I'm hungry," he told her with a grin then turned and went back to the table.

"I'll try to keep Gem from shocking your mother too much, but I won't be around to watch her all the time. I hope your mother can handle it."

He looked over his shoulder at the table and smiled. "I think it's Jack and Alyssa we need to worry about more than Mam at the moment, Gem's certainly picked up on what's going on between them," he chuckled.

"Of course she did," Rowan said and glanced around him. "You should get back over there and keep her distracted," she said and grinned. "And then I can get you your food."

Gem watched Ray walk away with a slight smile on her face. She looked back at Maggie.

"He's been good for my girl. I think she's been pretty good for him, too. He's the first person she ever brought to meet the family. She never brought that Brian she went off with. I think she must have somehow known he wouldn't be approved of. He took her from her family and herself."

Maggie nodded, she remembered her conversation with Rowan about Brian.

"She has been good for him. He'd never brought a woman to meet me before Rowan, I was beginning to believe that he wasn't going to settle down," she sighed as she looked over at the pair of them in the kitchen. "And now look, two children and getting married," she smiled.

Gem nodded. "Least they finally found each other."

Maggie looked over at Ray and Rowan and sighed happily. "I'm glad they did," she smiled.

She noticed her glass of tea was empty and glanced around. "Time for some more, I reckon," she said. She gestured at Maggie's cup. "More?"

Maggie smiled at Gem and nodded. "Please."

She caught sight of Syed and Trevor in the kitchen. "Looks like she's got help now. Good, maybe we can get ourselves settled then."

Chris looked at Lucy.

"Just us now," he whispered.

"Chris, don't."

"Shaz is working tonight, why don't you come around?"

"Chris, you know I don't like to do that when you've got Olivia."

"She'll be asleep."

Lucy shook her head.

"Then what about we hurry up and eat and have a quick stop around yours?" he asked. Lucy looked at the last bite of food on her plate and then nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Hale sat in his car and watched Lucy and Chris walk back to the station. Shame she hadn't been alone. He'd teach her a lesson. He would wait.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Alex put Sammy in the bath the minute they got home and made sure that he was clean. She wrapped him in a towel and then put him into his pyjamas and took him into the front room. She settled him on her lap and just sat there cuddling him.

"Promise me you'll never run off again, Sammy," she whispered.

"I didn't run off," he protested. "I was goin to Molly's and I got lost," he told her drowsily. He'd been sleeping on the cold streets for the last couple of days, now he was home and warm and safe and he was feeling very sleepy.

"Well, next time don't leave without telling someone where you're going," she told him as she kissed his forehead.

"Kay," he murmured as he nestled down in her arms and closed his eyes. Alex sighed as she looked at him fondly and lifted him up and carried him to his room. She tucked him into his bed and sat on the edge of his bed, watching him for a few moments. Finally she left his room, shutting the door quietly behind her and went back into the front room. She sat down on the sofa next to Gene and leant against him

"I've never felt so relieved," she said quietly.

Gene slid his arms around her.

"I know. I think I went half-mad when he was gone. I think I probably stink as bad as he does," Gene mumbled and let his eyes close. Days without sleep were finally taking a toll on him.

Alex lifted her head and looked up at his face. She smiled quietly and patted his leg.

"Come on, sleepyhead, go to bed if you're tired," she told him as she shifted in his arms and gave him a gentle push. "Don't sleep on the sofa or you'll hurt your back," she warned him.

Gene frowned at her tone, but got up and walked to the bedroom with a sigh.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan fondly watched him walk away and looked at Syed and Trevor with a shrug.

"He's always hungry," she remarked and dished up the food onto Ray's plate. She walked over to the large crock pot and dished up two bowls of ham and beans and then picked up a smallish plate and put some pan-fried cornbread on it.

"If you can just get a few more general things ready for lunch, that would be good. I don't have any stuff for salads done," she told them as she headed out of the kitchen.

She walked back out and gave Ray his plate and put the bowls in front of Louisa and Gem then put the cornbread on the table. Ray beamed at Rowan as the food was placed in front of him and tucked in greedily.

Gem looked up at her in surprise. "You serve this here?" she asked as she poured Maggie more tea and sat down.

"Yes, actually I do. It's pretty popular," Rowan replied and went over to grab a chair and dragged it over so she could sit.

"I serve your chocolate cake, too, you have no idea how many people ask me for the recipe," she said.

Gem swallowed some food and looked at Rowan. "I think I can imagine, yes."

She ate some more of her food.

"Now, when do I get to meet the twins?" she wanted to know.

"Surely you'd like a nap first?" Rowan said. Gem shrugged.

"I'll see how I feel when I'm finished eating, but the day I'm too tired to spend time with a couple of little ones..." she trailed off.

Rowan glanced at Ray.

"Okay, I'll go get them then, if you're sure."

Gem gave a short nod.

Rowan nodded and went back into the kitchen and got her car keys.

"Going to get the twins, back in a bit," she told Syed and Trevor and left.

Gem smiled. "Never too tired for little ones," she said again and picked up a piece of cornbread.

He looked up at the talk of the twins and smiled, he loved those two little troublemakers. He grinned at Rowan as she left to go and get them, maybe he'd get to see them before he had to leave for work, not that anyone would notice if he was back a little late; Gene and Alex would be at home with Sammy and Chris and Lucy wouldn't mind so much. They could cope without him for a while.

"Oh no," Maggie said to Ray with a frown and he looked at her.

"What?"

"You're thinking of skipping work," she told him.

"No," he protested. "I wasn't Mam."

"I know you Ray Carling, and that look on your face when Rowan said she was going to pick up your children..." she shook her head. "You're not missing work."

"Fine," he grumbled as he looked back at his food grumpily.

Maggie laughed softly and ruffled his hair. "Cheer up, Curlylocks, you'll see them when you get home won't you," she pointed out.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan hustled the twins into the car and drove back to the restaurant.

"Now, you make sure you behave. Aunty Louisa and Gem have come a long way to see you," she told them.

"Okay," the twins chorused.

She nodded sharply and led them inside and over to the table. Claire caught sight of her father and immediately shrieked. "Daddy!", bolted across the room to him and began trying ineffectively to climb onto his lap.

Gem's eyes widened at the piercing shriek. Claire would never have trouble making herself heard. Rowan picked Denis up and walked over and sat back down on her chair.

"That's Gem and that's Aunty Louisa," she told Denis.

"Hi," he said and waved at them.

"Nice to meet you," Gem said to him and Denis laughed.

"You talk funny," he said.

"S'pose I do at that," Gem agreed. Rowan picked him up and passed him to Gem, who settled him on her lap and began talking to him quietly.

Ray looked down at Claire with a smile and picked her up.

"I'm eating, Claire," he told her and planted a kiss on her cheek then passed her over to Maggie. "You sit with your Nan," he told her before smiling at Denis and carrying on with his lunch.

Maggie smiled down at her granddaughter and then over at her grandson. He was happily talking to Gem. She looked back at Claire.

"How was nursery?" she asked.

Claire frowned and almost protested, but caught sight of her mother's face and for once, remained silent.

"Fine," Claire said noncommittally. She shifted slightly. "Did you gets a puppy yet yes or no?" she asked curiously. She was determined in her campaign for someone she knew to get a puppy that she could share.

Maggie smiled at her. "I have a cat Claire, I can't get a dog, too," she said gently.

"Okay," Claire sighed heavily. She knew cats and dogs could get along, teacher at nursery had both, but you didn't argue with Gramma Maggie.

She noticed the food on the table and turned back to her grandmother, her blue eyes wide and pleading.

"Can I have some?" she asked and pointed. "Yes or no?"

Maggie raised her eyebrows at Claire, but nodded nonetheless. She shook her head as she pulled the food closer to Claire and gestured at it.

"Go ahead."

"We din have lunch yet," Claire explained and picked up a piece of cornbread. "I be careful," she added and leaned over the plate as she took a bite. She broke a piece off and held it out to Maggie.

"Mummy makes this good," she told Maggie. "Did you has some?" she asked. "Yes or no?"

Maggie smiled and took the piece. "I've had some before," she said as she popped the piece into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed then looked back at Claire.

"Your Mam's good at everything she cooks," she smiled.

Claire nodded. "Mummy says Gem teached her how."

Rowan looked at the twins quietly talking and winked at Louisa. The door caught her attention and she sighed and rubbed her hand against Ray's back before getting up and going to help them.

Louisa watched Rowan go and turned to Ray. "So, are you taking her somewhere?" she wanted to know.

Ray nodded. "Of course," he snorted. "It's all booked up, but I'm not telling her," he added hastily. "So you're not allowed to tell her anything," he said.

He looked at the twins and frowned. "And you two had better keep your mouths shut, too," he warned them, pointing a finger.

Denis and Claire both looked at their father with identical looks of confusion. Neither one had been paying attention to him.

"We is being good," Claire said with a frown.

"Not being loud at all," Denis agreed. "Just like Mummy said."

Louisa snorted a laugh. "Apparently not everyone listens to every word you say," she teased him.

Rowan walked back over. "What's so funny?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing, just giving your husband to be a bad time," Louisa said.

Rowan leaned over and draped her arms over Ray's shoulders, letting her hands dangle against his chest.

"You know, that didn't work back when you first met him and it's certainly not going to work now," Rowan told her.

"Yes, but see, now he has to endure it because he's practically part of the family," Louisa reasoned and grinned.

Rowan sighed. "She's got me there," she admitted and kissed the top of Ray's head. "I can't stop her now."

She went into the kitchen to get the food for the table she was taking care of. Louisa watched her go and then leaned over again.

"Where are you taking her, and no, I won't tell," she promised.

Ray frowned at his children, but sighed and looked back at Louisa with a smile.

"Greece," he said quietly. "I'm taking her to Greece," he told her.

Louisa's mouth made an "o" of surprise. "I've always wanted to go there," she breathed and then quickly took a bite of her food as she saw Rowan coming back.

Ray smiled at Louisa and looked up at Rowan as she came back. He smiled at her then carried on with his food, chuckling slightly at the sight of Denis wolfing down his sandwich.

He shrugged at Gem and then smiled at her as he finished his own meal and pushed the plate away a little. He looked at Claire on Maggie's lap and smiled at her, winking at his daughter.

Rowan placed a plate with a sandwich and chips by each twin and then sat down next to Ray again.

Claire took a bite of her sandwich, but at the sight of her father pushing back his plate, the sandwich was dropped forgotten to the table and she stretched her arms towards him.

Louisa chuckled and bent to pick the sandwich up off the floor where it had fallen and put it on the table.

Maggie smiled and lifted Claire from her lap to her father's. Ray sat her down and thanked Louisa as he pulled the plate back so that it was within Claire's reach.

"Here, eat up," he told her with a small frown.

Claire shook her head. "I not hungry," she told him and leaned against him.

"Will you color with me when you is home from work?" she asked and looked up at him. "Yes or no?"

Ray frowned at her. "You're a Carling, Carlings are always hungry," he told her but wrapped his arms around her middle in a hug.

"Of course I will, if you're good I might get the paints out, too," he told her.

"Painted at nursery," Claire told him with a shake of her head and then leaned against him again. "Can't you stay home and play?" she asked plaintively.

Ray shook his head at her. "Nah, your Nan's already told me that I have to go back to work, and I have to do as my Mam tells me," he told her with a small smile at Maggie before looking back at Claire. "Just like you have to do like your Mam tells you," he explained to her.

Claire turned her head and peered around at Maggie then quickly looked back at her father.

"Would she make you sit on the naughty step?" she asked him curiously and began to pluck at his shirt.

Ray smiled down at her and nodded.

"She did make me sit on the naughty step yeah, a lot actually," he told her.

Claire sniffed and then pushed her hair back off her face with the flat of her hand with great care and deliberation and then patted his shoulder.

"I guess you hafta go to work," she sighed. She noticed Maggie and Denis going to the stairs. She looked back at Ray. "I go watch tv, too," she told him and kissed his cheek noisily before clambering down from his lap and hurrying across the room to follow her brother up the stairs.

Ray chuckled after Claire as he watched her run off.

Rowan walked over and began to stack the dishes.

"See you when you get home," she told him and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. "Don't be late."

She smiled and picked up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen.

Ray smiled after Rowan and then stood up with a sigh. He watched Rowan disappear into the kitchen then strolled out of the Restaurant.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Denis made a noise of excitement and picked up the sandwich. Gem looked at Denis eating and then looked at Ray and raised an eyebrow.

She leaned over. "Slow down or you'll choke," she told Denis who nodded and slowed slightly.

"Mummy," Denis said in a plaintive tone. "We're being good and not loud, but Daddy said we has to keep our moufs shut," he complained.

"I'm sure he just thinks you heard something he doesn't want you to repeat," Rowan explained. Denis furrowed his brow, but looked unconvinced. He turned back to Gem.

"I'm gonna keep talking," he said, his tone slightly rebellious.

"Well, that's just fine. Your ma was right, he just didn't want you to repeat something you heard," Gem reassured.

"So, then..." he began and launched back into telling Gem about the story they'd been read at nursery.

Denis had finished his sandwich and started on his chips, handing one to Gem occasionally, who took it and politely ate it.

Gem sighed and stifled a yawn.

"I think I might be needing a nap now," she remarked and Louisa nodded. She let Denis climb down from her lap and walked over to where Rowan stood at the register. Louisa got up and followed her.

Denis walked under the table and emerged next to Maggie. He put his hands on her leg and smiled up at her.

Rowan looked up as Gem and Louisa approached. "It must be time to sleep," Rowan observed and Gem nodded.

"The stairs are just there and Louisa knows where to go. The twins have given up their room," Rowan told her.

Gem gave Rowan a hug and then followed Louisa up to the flat.

Ray waved after Gem and Louisa as they left.

Maggie smiled down at Denis and picked him up off the floor and onto her lap. "Hello, poppet," she smiled at him.

Denis smiled at Maggie and wound his arms around her neck.

"Can we go watch the TV?" he wanted to know.

Maggie smiled at her grandson and sneaked a glance at Ray and Claire. She looked at Denis' empty plate then nodded.

"All right then," she agreed.

Jack finished the last chip and leaned over.

"Let's go," he whispered to Alyssa. "We need to talk."

Alyssa looked at him and frowned slightly. "Okay," she replied, confusion filling her tone.

Alyssa stood up and said her goodbyes to everyone then headed outside to get back into the car.

Jack noted her tone, but said nothing more about it. He made his goodbyes and got Rowan to agree to stop by and look at the garden for any other changes. He climbed into the car and glanced at her as he started it up and drove home.

He smiled slightly as he followed her into the house. He dropped the keys in the bowl on the table by the door and moved towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"There's just one thing I need to say," he told her seriously and kissed her hard, his hand sliding behind her shoulders and pulling her close.

Alyssa brought her hands up and placed them on his chest. She pushed gently and broke the kiss, tilting her head up to look at his face.

"That's not talking," she remarked quietly as she studied him then sighed and wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest. "But it does say a lot," she added in a soft murmur.

Jack gave her a slow smile. "I know something that says even more," he told her and bent his lips to her neck and slowly trailed kisses to her lips as his hand made its way to the buttons of her top and began to unfasten them. He kissed her thoroughly as his hands slipped inside her top and slid it off her shoulders. His lips moved from hers and trailed down over her neck and to the swell of her breasts.

Alyssa clutched at his shoulders as she fought within herself; She couldn't help but remember that the last time Jack had slept with anyone it had been with Annie! But then the feel of his lips on her skin felt wonderful and in all honesty she had missed him. She ran her hands down his chest, undoing the buttons as she went. She ran her hands up his bare chest and sighed, a small smile on her face as she pulled back a little.

"In the hallway?" she asked curiously.

"It's our house, we can do it wherever we want," Jack said, his voice thick with lust as he pulled at the straps of her bra. He pushed her towards the wall and his hands went to the waist of her jeans as his lips and tongue traced over her breasts.

"I've missed you," he murmured against her skin.

A small groan left Alyssa at the feel of his lips and her hands pushed at her jeans too until they were in a heap on the floor, then they made their way steadily to his trousers and pushed at them until they fell. She ran her hands back up his bare chest and pulled at his head until he lifted his face so that his eyes were level with hers. Her hands cupped his face and she rested her forehead against his.

"I love you, Jack," she whispered to him. She pressed her lips to his softly then wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him as she deepened the kiss.

Jack smiled. "I love you, too," he said softly. He groaned into the kiss as he pushed her harder against the wall. He reached down and grabbed her legs, encouraging her to wrap them around his waist as he thrust into her with a sigh.

How had he managed without her? No one was like Alyssa.

Alyssa moaned and her head fell onto his shoulder and she pressed her lips to his neck. She hugged him tightly as he moved and wondered how she'd managed to go so long without him. She ran her hands through his hair.

"Jack," she moaned softly as she pressed kisses up his neck and along his jaw, rocking her hips against his to get him to move faster.

"Oh, Lyss," he gasped and clutched at her harder.

He cried out as he came and gasped for air as he leaned against her.

"Alyssa," he breathed.

His name left her in a loud moan. It had been far too long.

"How about after the wedding we go away?" he asked her. "Not the cottage, though, I'm thinking someplace hot and exotic," he said and nuzzled her ear. "I'd like to see you naked in the sand," he grinned at her.

Alyssa sighed happily and leant back against the wall, her legs still wrapped tightly around his waist and her arms resting on his shoulders.

A small laugh left her and she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "Can we afford a holiday?" she questioned curiously.

"We don't have to go far," he told her. "We could just take a long weekend in Spain," he told her. "I'm sure we can find something affordable."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "But for now, I think we should continue this elsewhere," he told her and wrapped an arm around her tight. He turned and headed for the stairs, laughing as he awkwardly made his way up them to their bedroom.

Alyssa sighed happily as she rested against Jack's chest. She had to admit, it felt good being back in his arms and having him back in her bed. She lifted her head and smiled at him, then kissed him again. Alyssa climbed out of the bed and grabbed her dressing gown from the door, slid it on the ventured downstairs. She gathered up all of their discarded clothes and turned to go back upstairs. She paused as the gift caught her attention. She smiled to herself then picked it up and balanced it on top of the pile of clothes.

Alyssa dumped the clothes on the floor, removed her dressing gown and crawled back into bed next to Jack, the gift in her hand. She looked at him.

"I think it's time I opened this," she told him quietly as she idly looked at the box before carefully opening it up. A small smile lit her face as she pulled out the bag and inspected it. It was the one she had wanted, and it was the real deal. Designer. She beamed at Jack and leant over to kiss him.

"That's one hell of a grovelling gift," she said.

Jack grinned. "Yeah, well, I think I had a lot of groveling to do. I hope you like it," he said. "I think it cost our life savings," he teased and pulled her tight against him.

Jack sighed. "I suppose one of us should think about dinner. I think I'm hungry after all that."

"Too right you did," she frowned at him and poked him in the chest. "Don't you ever cheat on me again Jack, please," she said as she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"We could always order takeaway, that way we only have to move as far as the phone until it arrives," she suggested.

"Promise you won't leave me again," he countered and made a noise as he tried to breathe. "Too tight," he managed and took a big breath when she eased up.

"I didn't leave the first time," she mumbled. "I went to calm down so that I didn't end up hitting you."

"But I didn't know that," he said and then waved his hand. "Anyway, past now," he said.

"I suppose we could. But we'd have to go downstairs to answer the door," he reminded her.

"I suppose I volunteer to go and get the food," he said and handed her the phone. "You can call."

Alyssa nodded.

"Okay, but don't forget the forks when you go down," she told him as she reached over and grabbed up her phone. She grabbed the takeaway menus out of the bedside drawer and spread them out on the bed. She smiled as she picked one up.

"Pizza? Then you won't need to remember the forks," she suggested.

Jack made a face at her. "I wouldn't forget the forks," he snorted. "You just pick what you want."

"Yeah, but only one of us would have to get up to go and pay the guy and bring the food back up here." she smiled at him. "We can eat out of the containers so all we need is a fork each," she smiled.

Alyssa nodded and sifted through the menus until she found one that caught her eye and picked it out.

"Thai," she said with a smile and glanced through it to find what she wanted then handed the menu to Jack as she picked her phone up and dialled the number.

Jack pointed at what he wanted and got up to pull his trousers on. He might as well be ready.

Alyssa admired Jack as she ordered the food then put her phone back on the side and looked at him.

"So, my wonderful husband, how's the garden coming along for the wedding?" she asked him as she lay back into the pillows of the bed. She was sure the bed had never felt so inviting.

"Well, I suppose you should take a look at it later and let me know what you think. I really want Rowan to have a look and tell me what she thinks, though, I think she probably won't."

Alyssa frowned. "Why not? Surely she wants to see it before the wedding happens?" she asked, puzzled, then her lips curved in a small smile. "I know I wouldn't trust you with preparing the garden if I was my wedding," she teased.

"Well, that was uncalled for," Jack huffed. "It looks great out there."

He folded his arms and stuck out his bottom lip.

Alyssa smirked at him and nodded along. "Uh huh," she grinned.

"How much have you got left to do now? Or are you nearly all done?" she queried.

"Pretty much done," he said. "I have to put that arch thingy up, but that's it I think," he told her. "Maybe we can go down and take a look after we eat."

Alyssa nodded agreeably "Sure, I'll give you some constructive criticism," she smiled at him.

"Oh great," Jack said unenthusiastically and made a face at her. He jumped up.

"Food's here," he said and hurried off.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\

Jodie frowned at the laptop.

"You know, Pops, still nothing on this dating website. I don't know why it's not working, I mean look at your picture! Could you look more gorgeous? And we said you're looking for 'The One', what more do they need to know?" she huffed in annoyance.

"I know!" said Poppy mournfully as she rested her elbows on the desk sadly and stared at the screen. "Why does no one like me, Jodes?" she asked quietly.

She glanced up at Whitney and Molly as the came in.

"Hiya, Whit," Jodie greeted and then looked back at Poppy.

Whitney leaned over. "They're trying to find Poppy 'The One'," she whispered to Molly.

Molly looked at Whitney and sighed. As much as Poppy and Jodie annoyed her, Poppy did look upset.

"Come here," she said as she took the laptop, turned it around and began to fill in Poppy's Profile information.

"There," she said as she handed the laptop back. "People want to know more about you than you're looking for 'The One,'" she said with a small smile.

Jodie leaned over to look at what Molly had written and nudged Poppy.

"Why didn't we think to write all that?" Jodie marveled aloud. "You're sure to find someone now, Pops."

Whitney winked and Molly and jerked her head and pointed towards the stairs.

"We'll leave you girls to it," Whitney said and walked off.

Poppy stopped reading through what Molly had written, a look of amazement on her face. "Thank you," she said, wonder in her voice as she turned back to the laptop. She could barely speak.

Molly chuckled and followed Whitney upstairs.

Jodie slung an arm around Poppy's shoulders.

"We should start planning where you can meet up when they want to meet you. I'll have to come with you, I could bring Darren, too, if you want," she offered with a smile.

Poppy gasped excitedly. "Like a double date!" she squealed. "Oh my god, Jodes! How amazing would that be!"

"It could be just like a double date," Jodie agreed enthusiastically. "And if it doesn't work out, we'll all still have fun. It's what they call a win-win, Pops," Jodie advised Poppy sagely.

Poppy nodded along to Jodie as she spoke, her eyes wide and a smile lit her face.

"Jodie this is going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"This is going to be brilliant, Poppy," Jodie agreed and began to fold more scarves.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Whitney put a mug of tea in front of Molly and a plate of chocolate biscuits on the table.

"Lauren's getting very annoyed that she's not getting anywhere with Charlie. She's managed a couple of kisses, but not much more than that. She's convinced he's still hung up on Annie, and she's probably right," Whitney said with a sigh.

"How is it she doesn't fall for available men?"

Molly sighed then smiled. "Because Lauren falling for an available man would make her life far too simple," she said. "She falls for the people she can't have, every time."

Whitney nodded. "Maybe not every time, but certainly a lot of the time," Whitney took a sip of tea. "I think she's handling it well, though."

Molly nodded. "She'll be gutted if Annie and Charlie do get back together, but she will get over it," she said with a small sigh. "Personally I'd love to see Lauren and Charlie together."

She tapped her finger on the table in thought a moment. "Maybe I could have Bolton see if he can set Poppy up with one of his mates, just so she thinks she's making progress," she suggested.

Molly's eyes widened and a smile filled her face. "Do you have any idea how grateful Poppy, and Jodie, would be?" she half-laughed.

Molly laughed. "You'd be labelled as some sort of goddess or something!" she exclaimed. "Could you imagine what she and Jodie would be like?" she said and shook her head.

Bolton looked down at his phone and smiled. He'd be there as soon as he finished this training session.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

"Yeah, well, of course, but I don't think we'd tell her. He could just get a mate of his to answer her ad. I don't think I could cope with Poppy being grateful," Whitney said. She picked up her phone and sent off a quick text to Bolton to drop by when he was free.

"There, when he comes over I'll talk to him," Whitney said and smiled as she picked up a biscuit.

Whitney shuddered. "Which is why I don't want to set it up in person. This way they won't know. It was bad enough hiring Poppy to work here. I'm glad they appreciated it, but there comes a point when the gratitude is annoying."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Jodie finished organizing a rack of dresses and looked at the clock.

"Are you hungry, Pops? I'm hungry. I'm going to walk over and get us some lunch. I'll be right back," Jodie said. She opened the door and then stopped and looked back.

"Should I get us some cake do you think?"

Poppy chewed on the top of the pen while she thought and then nodded.

"But only a little bit though, Jodes," she said with a smile.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Charlie hurried to the restaurant. Rowan had texted around and asked anyone who would be able to work to come in. Now that Sammy had been found, it would be business as usual and Rowan wasn't sure how busy it might get, but she wouldn't be able to do it on her own.

Charlie nodded at Jodie who was waiting patiently at the counter.

"What can I get you?" he asked and noted the dreamy look on her face. He followed her gaze to Rowan who was giving Ray a quick kiss and he cleared his throat. Jodie turned and looked at him.

"It's so romantic those two, so lovely," Jodie commented. Charlie nodded. She told him what she and Poppy ordered and he went to have the order made. Jodie sat down and pulled out a nail file and began to tidy her nails as she waited. She glanced at Charlie out of the corner of her eye as he came back to the register.

She stood up and stuck the nail file back in her bag.

"You know what else is romantic?" she asked him. Charlie looked up from the calculator and shook his head.

"You and Lauren. You're so cute together, honestly," she told him. Charlie furrowed his brow. He and Lauren weren't a couple. They were just mates. He had an idea she fancied him, he remembered that kiss that night in the pub when everything with the affair had kicked off. She'd kissed him a few times since then, but he hadn't thought much of it.

"But Lauren and I..." he began.

"You know when you can just see that two people are perfect together," she interrupted, "like me and my Darren, or them two over there," she gestured at Ray and Rowan. "You and Lauren just totally belong together," Jodie said in a knowledgeable tone and nodded.

Charlie opened his mouth and then closed it again, confusion dominating his face again. He looked up to see Syed bringing over the bag with Jodie's order in it.

Jodie smiled hugely at Syed and looked at Charlie. "Or like Syed and Christian belong together," she added and put the money for the food on the counter. "Bye," she said and gave them a little wave.

Syed looked at Charlie as she tottered out of the restaurant.

"What was that about?" Syed asked.

"She said Lauren and I are a perfect couple, except, we're not a couple," Charlie told him.

"Well, maybe you should be then," Syed said as if it was perfectly obvious and walked back to the kitchen. Charlie looked after Syed. It bore thinking about, he supposed.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Bradley drove back towards the Square. Three months holiday with his mum had been great. He knew it had irritated his father slightly, but Max did have Darren to help with the cabs. He glanced at the bag next to him: presents for Lauren, Abi and Oscar. He pulled up in front of the shop where he knew Lauren lived and watched Darren's wife Jodie walking out. He waited until she was gone and then pulled the box for Lauren out of the bag and climbed out of the car.

He went inside and noticed the shop had a lot more racks full of clothes and he could hear the low hum of several machines running. Whitney must be doing well, then. He caught sight of the pretty brunette behind the counter and walked over and gave her a smile.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Bradley, my sister Lauren lives upstairs, is she here?" he asked. Lauren was likely at work, but any excuse to talk to a pretty girl.

Poppy looked up from the website to see Bradley standing in front of her. She smiled back and then her brow creased in thought at his question.

"Lauren isn't no," she said, a little sadness in her voice at being unable to help him. A thought occurred to her and she smiled brightly "but Molly and Whitney are if you want to talk to them" she offered helpfully.

"I just have this present I wanted to give Lauren, is Whitney upstairs? I can just take it up if she is," he said and smiled at her, "if you don't mind, that is."

Poppy's face fell slightly. He had a present for Lauren, clearly he liked her then. She put her smile back on her face and nodded.

"I don't mind," she told him and pointed at the stairs. She sighed, it was a shame he already liked someone, he was cute.

Bradley started to move towards the stairs and then walked back over. The girl sounded quite sad.

He leaned on the counter again.

"Do you know my sister Lauren very well?" he asked, "because I need a favor. No one knows I'm home yet, so please don't tell her that her brother stopped by? Would you do that for me?"

Poppy's eyes widened. He was Lauren's brother, they didn't look very alike.

"You and Lauren don't look very alike," she commented. "I mean, not that I have any siblings so I can't say that I look like anyone, but normally you look like your brother or sister don't you? I mean, obviously identical twins look the same, but I'm not talking about being identical, just looking like each other," she smiled at him.

"I won't say anything to her! I'm brilliant at secrets, ask Jodie! Jodie tells me everything and I never tell anyone else...well," she frowned. "Except that one time when I told Henry, but that was only because he wanted to know, and if someone asks you a question you have to answer don't you? And I was always told to tell the truth and I'm not very good at lying, because that makes you a liar doesn't it? And I don't want to be a liar, so I don't lie, and that meant that I had to tell him the truth," she explained to him.

Bradley's eyes widened as the girl began to witter on. He clenched his teeth to keep his jaw from dropping in shock. He nodded along mindlessly as she spoke and tried to think when she stopped.

"Errr..." he managed and then gathered himself. "We, uh, we have the same father, but different mums, she's really my half-sister," he told Poppy. "I really should get this up there, I want to get him and let Dad know I'm back," he said.

"Nice meeting you," he said, trying to keep a friendly smile fixed to his face before hurrying away. He left the present on Lauren's bed and asked Whitney to keep silent and then left through the side door. He wasn't sure he could cope with listening to that girl again, although she seemed nice enough and she was pretty. He sighed.

Poppy nodded and waited patiently for him to come back down, he seemed nice enough. After 20 minutes she realised that he'd either used a different door or wasn't coming down. Poppy sighed unhappily and hoped that Jodie got back soon.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan closed up the restaurant early and went upstairs to make sure the flat was tidy. She was sure Gem had already looked the place over, but it never hurt.

She walked over and sat down next to Maggie and smiled at the twins lying next to each other on the floor with their chins propped in their hands, watching TV.

"Now I have to think what to make for dinner," she mused. She turned to Maggie. "What do you think of steak and kidney pie?" she asked. She knew Gem and Louisa wouldn't have had it before.

"Are they behaving?" she asked with a gesture at the twins.

Maggie smiled at Rowan. "I think Ray will be delighted if he comes home to steak and kidney pie," she said with a small smile. "You know, he used to go to the chip shop, not for chips, but for the pies," she said. "Because I wouldn't make a pie unless it was chicken and mushroom, and he always wanted either beef and onion or steak and kidney," she said with a small shake of her head.

She looked at the twins and nodded. "They're being fine," she smiled.

Rowan nodded. "He does like pie, and he really likes red meat," she said and chuckled. "He'd eat it every day if I let him."

She sighed and looked at her watch. "I better get started then," she realized and went into the kitchen. She quickly assembled the pie and put it in the oven. She glanced over at Maggie.

"Don't suppose you'd like to help me get the vegetables ready for salad?" she asked. She knew if she didn't get the cooking done before Gem got up, she'd be kicked out of her own kitchen. At least the pie was in. She also had fish fingers for the twins, they didn't like steak and kidney pie. She was sure Gem would have something to say about allowing the twins to eat something different, but it wasn't as though they hadn't tried the pie before. Gem had very firm views on trying something before you could say you didn't like it.

She piled all the makings for the salad on the counter and put out the cutting boards and knives.

"Oh yeah," Maggie smiled. "It was tough trying to get him to eat vegetables when he was little, potato wasn't hard. He liked mash, but he wouldn't eat tomatoes, or cauliflower, or cucumber. But he liked peas and strangely, he loved sprouts," she chuckled.

"Of course," Maggie smiled. "If you need a hand," she said as she picked herself up off the couch and followed Rowan through to the kitchen. She picked up the knife and began to chop and peel vegetables for Rowan.

"I've managed to convince him to eat other vegetables, except cauliflower. I haven't been able to get him to eat that." Rowan quickly began to chop up lettuce. "He does still like sprouts, though," she noted and smiled at Maggie.

Maggie smiled. "I used to make cauliflower cheese in an attempt to disguise it and trick him into eating it. It didn't work though, he'd just clean all the cheese off the cauliflower and eat around it," she sighed and shook her head.

Maggie smiled. "Strange boy."

"Well, we all have foods we don't like. Although I haven't come across anything yet that Denis won't eat. He'll even eat food he doesn't like. He'll complain about it, but he'll eat it," she shook her head. "Kids."

She glanced over to the front room when she heard Ray come in. "Speak of the devil," she remarked with a small smile.

Maggie chuckled. "He's a better eater than his dad used to be then," she smiled.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder and smiled briefly at Ray before turning back to the vegetables that she was chopping.

"Denis eats constantly and Claire hardly eats at all, she's so busy talking. Sometimes I think he's eating for both of them," she said with a laugh.

"It's a good thing he likes his food," Maggie smiled as she glanced over at her grandchildren.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Chris rushed home. He hadn't meant to be so late, but leaving Lucy was tough.

Hale gazed at Lucy's flat for a few more minutes before starting the car and heading home. He had to get home and make sure the wife had his dinner ready. There would be plenty of time to take care of that bitch Lucy soon enough. He smiled to himself as he drove away.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Charlie waited outside the office where he knew Lauren worked and waved at her when he saw her come out.

"Hey, Charlie, nice to see you," she greeted him.

"You too, um, you wouldn't fancy going out for a meal with me would you?" he wanted to know. Lauren's eyes widened in surprise. Was he actually asking her out?

"I...I'd love too, when?"

"Maybe...tonight?"

She thought for a moment. "Okay, shouldn't be a problem. I just need to change out of my work clothes."

"Fine, I'll walk with you," he said and gestured her to go and walked next to her.

She led Charlie to the side entrance to the flat, she really didn't want to go through the shop if Jodie and Poppy were still there.

Whitney turned with the pan and spoon in her hands and nodded when she saw Charlie and Lauren.

"Hey guys," she said cheerfully.

"Charlie's taking me out for a meal, so I'm just home to get changed. Hope you don't mind," Lauren said as she hurried to her room.

"Not at all, Bolton is coming around for dinner," Whitney called after her.

Lauren hurriedly shucked her clothes and pulled on jeans and a nice top. "So, it's best I'm not here anyway," she yelled from the bedroom, her tone teasing. She caught sight of the box on her bed and picked it up. She quickly tore into it and smiled at the blown glass figurine in it. She carefully placed it on her dresser and came back into the front room.

"Bradley was here," she said and Whitney nodded. "He said he just got back today."

Lauren gnawed her lip a moment. There was no doubt a meal at home to welcome Bradley back. She wanted to go, but she knew what her father could be like. She wasn't sure she wanted her first date with Charlie to be marred by her overprotective father.

"I'll have to give him a call and see when he wants to meet up," she said and walked over to Charlie. "Ready," she said.

"Bye," Charlie said to Whitney. She waved them off and turned back to the stove to finish the gravy.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Bolton had a shower at the club before he left then made his way to Whitney's. He waved briefly at Poppy and Jodie in the front of the shop, but didn't hang around long enough to talk to them. He'd had enough experiences of that to last him a long time. They did his head in. He smiled at the sight of Whitney cooking as he came into her flat and went to lean against the counter.

"Home cooked meal? You're spoiling me," he grinned at her.

"It's just bangers and mash," Whitney told him. "I'm hardly a gourmet chef."

She quickly put the food on the table and sat down. She made small talk and waited until he was halfway through with his food before bringing up why he was here.

"So, um, I really wonder if you could do me a favor?" she broached hesitantly.

Bolton swallowed his mouthful and raised his eyebrow at her.

"Depends what it is?" he said curiously.

"Well, would you consider helping Poppy out? Just, you surely know one person who might go out on a date with her, please?"

Whitney held up her hand to stop Bolton talking. "She won't have to know, okay. She's got an online dating profile, they could just you know sort of...find her on there. I know it's asking a lot but I don't know anyone she doesn't already know," she begged.

Bolton nodded "I'll ask around and see, but I can't guarantee they'll go out with her again after they've spent some time with her" he warned her. He knew a few guys who were single, and Poppy was pretty enough, it was just when she spoke.

"Just a date here or there would be good, so she thinks the internet thing is really working. I feel really bad for her. I know she's not that bright, but she's very sweet and she means well," Whitney defended. She shrugged.

"Please pick someone nice, though, not someone that would be mean to her," Whitney requested.

"All right Whit, I won't let anyone know if I think there's even the smallest chance that they'll tease her or be cruel to her," he vowed.

Whitney reached across and took Bolton's hand.

"Thank you. So, who springs to mind?"

Bolton picked up a forkful of food and chewed it thoughtfully. He swallowed with a small smile and looked at her,

"You remember Paul?" he asked.

Whitney furrowed her brow in thought. "Barely," she said. "I sort of was paying more attention to you than anything else," she said. "I do remember he kept trying to flirt with Molly, that was funny. Didn't he end up going to the party with Lauren?" she gasped.

Bolton grinned. "Yeah, Molly kept turning him down didn't she," he chuckled and then nodded. "Yeah, he did I think," he smiled at her. "I was a bit preoccupied to be worrying about him if I'm honest," he smiled at her.

"He's a nice guy, not all that bright but he's not nasty," he smiled.

"Do you think Paul remembers Lauren? I mean, do you think there would be a problem? It has been a long time though, and she's into Charlie..." she trailed off and gnawed her lip. "Nah, it probably won't be a problem."

Bolton shook his head. "Doubt it, it's been years, Whit," he smiled. "Besides, I don't think it was much more to either of them than just having each other as a date to the party," he shrugged.

"Besides, if Lauren's not interested then I doubt that Paul is going to go mooning after her," he added.

"Good," Whitney said and nodded. "Set it up for next weekend, then?"

Bolton nodded and grinned at her. "Sure, no probs," he agreed.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Gem faintly heard the clatter of activity in the kitchen and could smell food cooking. She must have slept quite a while, she realized. At least the bed was fairly comfortable, she thought as she sat up. She yawned and stood up and walked slowly down the steps.

She went into the bathroom and tidied her hair and then went into the front room. She noticed Rowan busy in the kitchen and smiled. She'd keep out of the girl's way, she decided and sat down on the couch.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Ray grinned to himself as he left work, waving at Adam as he passed. He clambered into his car and drove home, parking in his usual space. Ray wandered up the stairs and nodded at Gem on the sofa and looked to see Rowan and Maggie in the kitchen. His eyebrows flew up but he said nothing. He looked at Gem.

"Louisa still asleep?" he asked her. He wanted to know how quiet he had to be, the twins had a tendency to get a bit boisterous and loud when he played with them.

Gem saw the direction of his gaze and the surprise on his face.

"Those two were in there when I woke up. I imagine Rowan doesn't want me to take over," she said and smiled.

She nodded at his question. "Yes, but it wouldn't hurt her to get up before it's time to eat," she told him and glanced at the twins. She had an idea he wanted to spend time with them and she was sure they could be loud. Louisa's pair could wake the dead.

She narrowed her eyes at Ray.

"You do know she has boys herself, right? And they're but a few years older than that pair," she said and gestured at Claire and Denis. "I wouldn't worry about noise."

Ray nodded and chuckled as he looked back over at Rowan and Maggie in the kitchen.

"Well yeah, but you both had a long journey," he shrugged. "And yeah I do know she has her boys, been ages since I saw them," he said with a small smile.

Ray turned to look at the twins then fell onto his stomach next to them on the carpet and nudged them gently. "What're we watching?" he whispered.

Claire looked at him and put her finger across her lips.

"Shhhh, they is sneaking into the castle," she warned him.

Ray nodded a her, a smile tugging at his lips but he looked back at the TV screen and rested his head on his fists.

Claire got up and climbed onto her father's back.

"You could be my talking donkey," she said to Ray, "and I be the Princess."

She looked at the screen again. "But I need my hair to do that," she said and grabbed her braid and pretended it was whipping around, making sure to add sound effects. She finished by thumping it on her father's head.

Denis looked up at her and shook his head.

Ray frowned and twisted his head to look at Claire on his back. He looked at Denis, his frown still in place as Claire thumped him with her hair. He shrugged then let his arms and legs fall out from beneath him so that he fell the short way onto the carpet on his stomach. He winked at Denis and shut his eyes, unmoving.

Claire gasped as she felt Ray flatten on the floor. She knelt over and put her hands on his shoulders and peered around at his face then looked at Denis worriedly.

"You killed him," Denis accused. Gem put a hand over her face and tried not to laugh at the tone of Denis' voice.

"No!" Claire wailed and clambered off her father. She ran for the kitchen and flung herself at her mother.

"I sorry Mummy!" she wailed.

Rowan stopped chopping cucumber and looked down at Claire and then at Maggie.

"What?" she said putting down the knife and picking up her daughter.

"Daddy," Claire wailed and buried her face in her mother's shoulder. Rowan looked into the front room and sighed.

Maggie looked at Claire in alarm and then also looked over at Ray. She shook her head before turning back to finishing off the veg.

Ray couldn't help it, he gave a small chuckle then tried with all his might to keep his lips pressed shut. He couldn't. He carefully turned his head and opened an eye to look at Denis, he smirked at his son.

Denis smirked back.

"She's crying," he whispered gleefully, earning himself a stern glance from Gem. He ignored it and giggled.

Ray frowned at Denis. He hadn't meant to make Claire cry.

Maggie gently rubbed Claire's back and leaned close "You didn't kill him sweetheart" she said softly.

Claire kept sobbing. Rowan sighed and went over and nudged Ray with her foot.

"Will you please show your daughter that you are only playing dead," Rowan grouched.

"Look, Claire, he's fine," she said, her tone annoyed. Claire sniffed and looked down.

Ray sat up and reached for Claire, he took her out of Rowan's arms and hugged her tightly. He stroked her hair gently.

"I'm not dead, Claire," he said to her quietly. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

Claire tightened her arms around Ray's neck and sniffed.

Rowan looked at him.

"You know you have to let her know when you're playing," Rowan reminded Ray quietly.

She glanced down at Denis who had been quietly giggling. He was immediately silent.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Rowan nodded and went back into the kitchen only to find Gem had gone in and taken over. She sighed.

"And now I'm kicked out of the kitchen," she muttered.

Ray sat down on the sofa and hugged Claire tightly as he nodded apologetically at Rowan. He cuddled Claire tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, Claire, look at me," he said gently as he lifted her chin and kissed the tip of her nose. "Stop crying, everything's okay," he told her.

Claire leaned back and pushed her hair off her face with the palm of her hand as she sniffed and nodded. She pointed at Denis.

"You not funny," she snapped at him and he made a face at her before turning back to the movie.

Claire looked at Ray again.

"You color with me now?" she asked and slid from his lap to open the drawer and pull out the box of crayons.

Ray sighed at his kids, at least Denis had known he had only been pretending. He tended to forget that Claire took most things seriously. He shrugged to himself, she'd learn.

Ray smiled at her and nodded. "I'll get the paper," he said and looked down at Denis.

"You wanna do some drawing, too?" he asked as he wandered over to the drawer to get out the paper and laid it out on the coffee table so it was well within Denis' reach if he wanted to do some drawing with his sister.

Denis shook his head. "I watching this," he said and turned back to the TV.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Jodie came back with the food.

"Here we go, and I got us once piece of cake to share," Jodie said. "I was thinking of your diet," she added helpfully.

Poppy smiled at Jodie.

"Thanks Jodie, you're such a great friend," she smiled and then looked briefly back over to where Bradley hadn't come back from. She frowned and looked at Jodie.

"Brothers and sisters do look alike don't they?" she asked.

"Well, they can, but sometimes they don't look a lot alike. Look at Tamwar and Syed, or all Bianca's kids," Jodie replied and then paused before taking a bite of her food. "Why? What's going on, Pops?"

Poppy stared off into space and shook her head. "I just met Lauren's brother," she sighed.

"Bradley? I thought he was off on holiday," Jodie said in surprise. "He's nice and he's very fit, Pops, but he's kind of strange," she began hesitantly. "He likes all that science stuff, like that Doctor What thingy and Star Battles and stuff. I'm not sure he's your type at all Pops. But he's very fit and sweet," she explained.

"OH!" Poppy said, suddenly distressed. "I promise I'd keep it a secret that he was back," she said mournfully and held her head in her hands. "Now I've let the secret out, and he asked me especially to keep it a secret," she said unhappily.

"Don't worry, Pops, I won't tell anyone. He'll never know," she comforted and put an arm around Poppy's shoulders.

"Let's eat, come on," she suggested.

Poppy nodded at Jodie and felt her smile coming back. Jodie was a good friend.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Bradley went home and surprised his father and Tanya. He hadn't minded too much when they finally got back together. He happily ate dinner with them and then he and Max went to the pub.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Annie sighed, but nodded at Peggy.

"I can pull an extra shift, no problem," she said and went back to serving customers. Bradley smiled at the pretty blond behind the bar. Things had definitely improved here, he thought.

Charlie led Lauren into the pub and caught sight of Annie behind the bar.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," he suggested.

"No, it's fine. We all have to get along, don't we," Lauren said with a shake of her head. She caught sight of her brother and ran over to him.

"Thanks, bro," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"We missed you at dinner," her father scolded.

Lauren looked at him. "I was busy, Dad," she said and glanced over at Charlie. Max followed her gaze and frowned.

"That's my mate, Charlie," she told him and gave her father a look. He narrowed his eyes at her and turned back to his drink.

"Do you want to come sit with us?" Lauren asked Bradley.

"Maybe in a bit," he said and waved her off. She grinned and walked over to Charlie who was getting their drinks. Lauren avoided looking at Annie as she served them. She wondered if Charlie would ever make up his mind, playing it cool was getting harder and harder.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Max got up.

"I'm going home, see you later," he said to Bradley. Bradley nodded and smiled at his father then turned back to Annie.

"So, been here long?" he asked her.

She looked at him.

"Not too long," she replied. "Charlie and I moved here just a few weeks ago."

Bradley glanced over at Charlie and looked back at Annie.

"Are you..." he trailed off.

"We had a row awhile back, I'm not sure if we're going to get back together or not," she answerd with a sigh.

"Do you want to?" he asked carefully.

"Sometimes I do, but sometimes I wonder if I should bother," she shrugged.

"Well, my sister fancies him, I can tell," he told her.

Annie looked over at them and then back at Bradley.

"Moving here was my idea. I'm not sure if he's going to stay if we don't get back together," she mused.

"But you will?"

"Oh, yeah, I couldn't wait to get here," she said and gave him her first real smile of the night.

"I think she's flirting with my brother," Lauren observed. Charlie looked over.

"She's just being nice," Charlie said.

"Yeah, well, Bradley's flirting with her," Lauren chuckled. She sighed and looked at Charlie's face.

"Do you want to get back with her?" she asked, trying hard to keep the hurt from her voice.

"Sometimes," he said. "I do still care for her, but all this, I'm not sure anymore," he said softly. Lauren covered his hand with hers and squeezed.

"We can go if you want," she told him.

"Okay," he said. "I wouldn't want to cramp her style," he said as he watched Annie burst into giggles at something Bradley said. He drained his drink and stood up.

"I'll walk you home," he offered and Lauren quickly finished her drink.

"Okay," she said and walked with him to the door.

Annie watched them go, but quickly turned her attention back to Bradley.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan went into the kitchen and pulled the pie out and put the fish fingers and chips in. She looked at Gem and Maggie who were talking quietly, she wondered what about, probably her and Ray, or maybe food.

She put the pie on the table and went back into the front room and sat down.

Louisa woke up and went downstairs. She noted Maggie and Gem were in the kitchen and grinned. Rowan had been kicked out of her own kitchen.

She sat down in the chair and smiled at Rowan.

"I feel loads better," she commented.

"Good, it will be dinner soon," Rowan said.

Louisa smiled. "I'm hungry."

Rowan got up and went to get the food out of the oven, looking at Gem and Maggie who were still talking. She quickly made the plates for the twins and put them on the table. She put the rest of the chips in a large bowl and grabbed the bowl of salad and put it on the table.

"Dinner's ready," Rowan called out and tried not to chuckle when Denis rushed to the table.


	14. Chapter 14

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 14**

Jack got up early and went out to the garden to smoke. He looked at the place and smiled. At least Alyssa had given it her seal of approval.

He walked around the garden and looked it over carefully before going back inside and switching on the kettle. He got the bacon out of the fridge and started cooking it up so Alyssa could have her favorite for breakfast.

/\\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\

Whitney went into the kitchen and started making some tea. Sometime today Bolton's friend would be contacting Poppy and taking her out. She picked up the cups and carried them into the bedroom and sat down. She trailed a finger across Bolton's neck.

"Morning," she trilled.

Bolton cracked open his eyes lazily and smiled up at her. "Mornin," he said as he sat up and stretched. He looked at her with a grin then glanced at the tea.

"One of those for me?" he asked hopefully.

Whitney smiled. "Of course," she said and handed him a mug. "So, what time is your mate going to contact her?"

Bolton shrugged. "No idea," he answered truthfully. "I just told him what we wanted him to do, and that he only has to go out with her once." he smiled.

Whitney took a sip of her tea and then looked at Bolton.

"Thank you. Can you imagine if he actually decides he fancies her?"

Bolton shrugged. "If he does then that's our good deed for the day done," he said. Bolton frowned for a moment then looked at Whitney. "Anyway, there's always the possibility that she won't like him," he pointed out.

Whitney nodded. That was entirely possible. "Guess we'll find out."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Alyssa smiled as she got into the shower. She had managed to convince Tanya to get Gayna, Kim and Maddie in early so that they could sort Rowan's hair and make up for the wedding. Tanya had agreed to do the bridesmaids as well and Alyssa was using her staff discount so that everything kept within Rowan's budget. Rowan was supposed to text Alyssa a time when she was going to show up so that Alyssa could tell Tanya and the girls when to expect her.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Molly was up, washed and dressed and making sure that they had all of the food cooked. They only had a few more things to finish then they were completely ready. She finished putting cling film over the platters and went to wake Peter up.

She perched on the end of the bed and nudged him gently. "Peter, you need to get up and check that I haven't missed anything," she told him.

Peter yawned and hauled himself from the bed. He walked out of the bedroom and looked around at all the food and shook his head.

"You'd think the whole of London was coming the amount of food," he commented. "I can't even imagine how much is downstairs in Jane's flat."

He looked at her and grinned before slinging an arm around her neck.

"Are you trying to impress Rowan? Maybe see if she'll ask you to run the restaurant for her if Roxy doesn't keep you on, very clever," he remarked in admiration.

Molly pouted at him. "I'm just making sure that there's enough food," she told him. "Jane should have the rest of it downstairs," she said then looked around the room.

"It's lucky that we live so close, otherwise it would be hell trying to get all of this food there," she said. "It's going to take at least 3 trips as it is."

"Yeah, I can see you're making sure," Peter teased. "We'll have to move it in the car. It's the only way. We can load the car and then you and Jane carry what you can, we might be able to do it in two trips," he said.

Molly nodded in agreement. "If we're lucky we'll be able to do it in two," she said then shrugged and kissed him.

"You should probably get ready."

"Yes, boss," Peter said and went to shower.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan woke up and looked over at Ray. She was marrying him today. She could hardly believe it! She looked at the clock and sighed. Still early. She smiled and huddled close to Ray. She really wished they could do more than cuddle, but his mother was here.

She kissed his shoulder and slipped from the bed. She crept to the bathroom and realized the flat was silent. She had expected at least Gem to be awake. She went back to the bedroom and crawled back under the covers.

Ray rolled over as he felt Rowan crawl back into bed beside him and he gathered her into his arms. He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

"So, today's the day," he murmured quietly and pulled back to look at her face. "You nervous? You're not going to run off and leave me at the alter are you?" he asked, trying to tease, but real anxiousness seeping into his tone. He knew that he'd pleaded and cajoled her into this and he knew that there were reasons that she didn't want to get married, and he knew that she was scared of it. He was worried he had pushed too far and that she would suddenly freak out and run. He wasn't sure he could bear it if she did.

On the other hand, the day could go smoothly; he didn't care about all the other parts of the day. Just about Rowan, and watching her walk towards him down the aisle, and then saying I do. That was all he wanted. The other stuff was just there. It didn't matter.

"Yes, it is," she said back. She tilted her head at him. "No, I have no intention of doing that," she told him and kissed him softly. "Besides, the shoes Alyssa's got me wearing if I tried to run I'd fall flat on my face," she said and began to giggle.

Ray smiled back, reassured somewhat. He knew he would be slightly on edge until they were both standing together in Jack and Alyssa's garden. "Then please don't try to run," he chuckled. "Last thing we need is the bride injuring herself," he smiled.

"No running," she promised. "The flat's really quiet, everyone's still sound asleep."

"Well, we are up spectacularly early," he pointed out as he gave her a little squeeze.

She snorted. "It's not that early." She rested her head against his chest. "Should probably get showers out of the way with so many of us. You go first; I'll make you some tea."

Ray sighed heavily and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "All right then," he said as he let go of her and eased himself out of bed. He turned and smiled at her. "3 sugars," he told her as he walked out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom.

Rowan nodded. She knew how he took his tea. She went down the hall and noticed the twins weren't on the couch. She frowned and ran up the stairs; Gem and Louisa were gone, too. She went back downstairs and looked at the door to the bedroom and grabbed down the note.

Apparently, everyone else was already up and out for a walk. She turned to go back into the kitchen and then stopped and smiled. She quietly opened the bathroom door and went inside. She hurriedly shed her pajamas and slipped into the shower. She admired the way the water ran over Ray's broad back and then reached out and slid her hands over his wet skin.

"It seems we've been deserted," Rowan said as she trailed her fingers down his back.

Ray turned around and frowned at her. "Deserted?" he repeated curiously as his eyes ran over her hungrily. He licked his lips unconsciously then reached out a hand and pulled her against him. He tucked her damp hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.

"Seems everyone has gone for a walk, leaving us allllll alone," she purred.

"We have time," he murmured with a grin and pressed his lips to hers. His hands slid to her waist and he backed her up against the wall of the shower. Ray pulled back from the kiss and smiled down at her. "We haven't had shower sex in a while," he commented.

She smiled back up at him. "Then let's stop wasting time," she insisted and wound her arms around his neck.

Ray smiled in agreement as he pressed her up against the wall and lifted her so that they were more level and kissed her as he wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her hips securely as he peppered small kisses down her neck, one hand wandered from her hip to her waist as he pressed his body against hers. Why him? She could have had anybody, but she had chosen him. He was glad, now that he had his family he didn't want to be without them.

He smiled against her skin as his hands wandered up and down her body leisurely. He wondered how long they had until the others got back. Rowan hadn't said, he frowned slightly and pulled back.

"How long do we have?" he wanted to know.

Rowan locked her feet behind him and sighed. That look in his eye still made her heart race. Granted there hadn't been that many men in her life, but no one had ever made her feel so beautiful. She was never quite sure when her overwhelming lust for him had become love, but somewhere along the way, some of his faults had gone from annoying to charming, though some had stayed annoying and she had been steadily working on getting rid of them over time, and she realized how much she wanted him in her life.

She gasped as he pulled away. "I don't know," she said breathlessly as she clutched at his shoulders. "But we were planning to have breakfast downstairs, so I doubt they'll come up right away."

She gasped for breath through her parted lips and waited. Surely he wasn't going to stop now!

Ray nodded and considered her with a smile for a moment before kissing her and thrusting into her. He groaned into her mouth and pulled away from the kiss to rest his forehead against hers. This never got old. He clutched at her as he moved, building his pace gradually and his hands slid over her.

Rowan cried out as she felt him inside her.

"Ray," she moaned. She met his gaze and dug her fingers into his shoulders as she moved with him as best she could. He was so amazing.

Her breath began to whine in her throat as she felt herself getting closer. He hadn't been uncontrolled like this in a while, she missed it.

Ray growled into her neck as he felt his release drawing closer and closer. They really didn't get anywhere near enough time for this any more. He pressed his lips to her neck as he cried out and his arms tightened around her, holding her against him as he panted. His eyes closed and he loosened his grip with a sigh.

He smiled at her as he let her down, the next time they did that she would be Mrs. Carling. He couldn't help but grin at the thought.

Rowan clung to him, she wasn't sure her legs would hold her. She looked up at him.

"What are you grinning about?" she asked curiously, a smile hovering around the corners of her mouth.

Ray smiled at her and shrugged. "We're getting married," he offered by way of a response.

Rowan couldn't help but giggle. She tilted her head and grabbed the washcloth and the soap. She ducked under the water and handed him the shampoo as she came out from under the water. She soaped up the washcloth and began to rub it over his chest.

"I'll do this while you wash my hair," she said and smiled up at him.

Ray chuckled and squirted a small amount of shampoo into his palm and rubbed his hands together before setting about rubbing it into her hair.

Rowan closed her eyes and sighed, she did love when he touched her hair. She soaped him down quickly, with businesslike efficiency, she wasn't sure they had time and she wasn't sure she had the strength right now for another session.

Ray smiled as he worked his hands through her hair, rubbing the soap in and he moved her backwards slightly until she was under the jet of water and he combed his hands through her wet hair until all of the shampoo was out. There was something therapeutic about washing her hair, he quite enjoyed it, and he knew that she liked it whenever he began playing with her hair.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Paul stared fixedly at Poppy's page. She was fit, there was no denying that. But Paul couldn't help be suspicious. Bolton had told him to be nice to her. That wouldn't be any trouble, not the way she looked.

He took a deep breath and began to type: "Yeah, this is Paul. I think you're well cute and I'd like us to meet up. Tonight if you're available. Let us know."

He hit the send button and leaned back in his chair. It was still a bit early in the morning yet. He closed the laptop and went to make himself a cup of tea and check that the train ticket to London was still on the fridge.

It was. He tapped the ticket and then went to shower and pick out his clothes. If nothing else, he'd get to see his old mate Bolton again.

Paul finished getting ready and slung a small backpack over his shoulder. He checked his phone again. No reply just yet. He shrugged. If he didn't go now he'd miss his train and he didn't like the idea of wasting the money on a train ticket that he ended up not using. If the girl didn't reply, he'd just hang out with Bolton. And surely there were loads of girls down there just waiting for him.

He tossed his keys up and caught them and headed out of the flat.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Jack smiled at the sound of the shower and put the bread and sauces Alyssa liked on the table. He moved the bacon from the pan to a plate and put it on the table, too, then made her coffee the way she liked it.

He sat down at the table and sipped his tea as he waited for her.

Alyssa decided to dress casually. Seeing as they were having hair and makeup done at the Salon there was no point in putting her dress on until it was time to go. She smiled and didn't bother with make up either; she'd only have to take it off again in a while. After running the brush through her hair one final time she carried her dress downstairs and hung it on the top of the door frame. She smiled as she smelt bacon and headed for the kitchen.

She sneaked a glance at the garden before sitting down and beamed at Jack. "The garden looks beautiful, Jack," she told him as she reached for her coffee.

"I'm glad you think so," he said cheerily.

"I do" she replied, "And Rowan will, too," she added with a smile.

Her eyebrows flew up. "You made my favourite breakfast," she commented with a smile.

"What else would I make for my favorite person in the world?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What have you done wrong?" she asked him skeptically.

"I haven't done anything wrong. I'm just glad to be able to spoil you again," he told her. He ate his way through his sandwich quickly.

"Okay, going to go shower. Let me know when you leave for the salon, okay?" he kissed the top of her head and went upstairs.

"Mmhmm" she mumbled around her sandwich as he dashed away. She fingered her phone with a small sigh and ate her breakfast slowly. Until she got the text from Rowan she didn't have to leave. So, there was no point in rushing.

Once she finally finished her breakfast, Alyssa packed the sauces back into the cupboard and started on the washing up. She still had time to kill.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Poppy checked her laptop as she sat at her breakfast table. She squealed in excitement as she saw that she had a message and pulled out her phone to call Jodie.

"Pops, what is it? Why you calling so early?" Jodie asked sleepily.

"It happened Jodes!" Poppy squealed down the phone. "I got a reply, he wants to meet up!" she said excitedly before her tone turned somber. "And you know what you said about a double date, in case, you know, he's a stranger or something..." she asked hopefully.

Jodie sat up.

"Poppy! That's brilliant!" she cried over the phone. "When does he want to meet? Of course, Darren and I will come with you," she offered and Darren groaned into his pillow. This was the last thing he needed.

"Today, Jodes, today!" she replied excitement getting the better of her again. "Well," she said as she scrolled back down. "He actually said he wants to meet up tonight," she corrected. "Please say you can Jodes, I don't want to go on my own."

"Tonight is fine," Jodie said reassuringly. "Darren and I have nothing else to do. Send him a message back. We an meet up with him at the Queen Vic, you pick the time, okay Pops?"

"Okay," Poppy agreed happily. "Thanks Jode," she added before putting the phone down. A small squeal left her and she sat for a moment and composed herself. She nodded and wrote a small message back.

"Would love to. Queen Vic Pub 7pm?"

She didn't trust herself to write any more, she knew she could ramble on a bit sometimes.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Paul leaned back in his seat and quickly checked his email. She had replied. Good.

"See you then," he quickly typed and sent. He closed his email and sent off a text to Bolton.

"Seeing that Poppy girl tonight at Queen Vic," he sent and grinned.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

"Now we should make a nice breakfast when we get back," Gem suggested. She glanced back at Louisa who was with the twins and looked back at Maggie. Louisa can help get those two ready, she's got twins herself so she's used to it. Then, we all go and get ourselves purtied up by Alyssa and by then it should be time."

"I suppose the city ain't so bad, but I do miss my farm and the mountains," Gem said with a sigh as they neared the street that would take them back to the restaurant.

"Me too," Louisa echoed behind her.

Maggie looked at Louisa and Gem understandingly and sighed. "I don't know about farms and mountains, but I do miss my garden," she said. "And my cat," she added.

She smiled dreamily. "It must be wonderful to live out of the way of the city," she said. "Much cleaner and healthier I imagine?" she asked. She'd lived in the middle of Manchester her entire life; she had no experience of living in the countryside.

"It's quiet," Gem said. "I'm two miles from the farm Rowan's parents owned, Louisa and her husband live there now, and about 7 miles from the town. I have several cats, a couple of dogs, a couple of cows, a couple of horses, a fair few chickens," Gem shrugged. "I'm sure they told you I don't really use electricity much, no phone, no TV," she smiled. "But that's just me. I have a pretty big garden and quite a number of fruit trees and such. The area young folk help me keep it in shape."

Maggie listened intently and smiled. "Makes my little garden sound very small," she laughed. "Mind you, I have enough trouble keeping that in shape," she added. A small frown creased her face as she thought. "I couldn't do without electricity though, I'd miss Countdown," she sighed.

Gem smiled. "My farm is my livelihood," she said. "I'm mostly self-sufficient. I'm sure if you had a lot of land you would be, too. I'm sure your garden, though small, is quite something."

Maggie beamed at her. "Well, it's better than Evelyn Shaw's garden that much I do know!" she stated matter-of-factly.

"There you are then," Gem said with a smile and unlocked the restaurant door. She held it open so Maggie, Louisa and the twins could go inside. She paused a moment and nodded when she heard water running.

"Sounds like they're awake finally," she remarked and went upstairs. She rapped sharply on the bathroom door.

"We're getting breakfast going downstairs," she called through the door. "Don't go tiring yourselves out."

She turned and went back down, a small smile tugging at her mouth. She went into the kitchen and put her hands on her hips.

"So, Maggie, what do you reckon we should make?" she asked.

"Pancakes," the twins chorused.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Rowan snorted out a giggle at Gem's comment and looked up at Ray before ducking back under the water to rinse her hair.

She climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself and began to towel her hair dry. Alyssa was going to have it done for her at the salon, so she didn't want to do too much, apart from brush it.

Ray grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he shut off the water. He watched Rowan for a moment then moved to the sink to have a shave.

Rowan gazed at Ray in admiration. He was such a lovely piece of work.

She looked at Ray and smiled before she turned around and hopped up onto the bathroom counter.

"Here, come here," she said to him and took the razor from his hand. "Don't be so nervous," she told him and tugged him over to stand between her legs. "Now, stand still," she said and began to carefully and gently shave him.

"Haven't done this in a long time," she teased him. "Did I ever tell you I used to help my father shave? That's how I learned," she said and bit her lip as she concentrated.

Ray stood perfectly still as she shaved him, just watching her face as she concentrated.

"I'll tell you now, Ray, you have no reason to be nervous," she finished his jaw and used the towel she'd been drying her hair with to wipe his face. She put the towel aside with a sigh and took his face in her hands. "Sometimes, I think I was just waiting for someone like you. Now I've found you and I have no intention of letting you go. You asked me to marry you and I've said yes, you should know me well enough by now to know I don't give my word lightly," she gently stroked his cheek.

"And now, as much as this is a wonderfully ideal position and it puts all sorts of ideas in my head, we should throw some clothes on and go downstairs."

He smiled and leant forwards to kiss her. "You never told me you used to shave your Dad, no," he murmured with a smile then stood back to let her climb down. "Right, I reckon that Mam and Gem are probably working their magic in the kitchen," he said with a smile. "So, we get dressed and make our way down," he said with a smile.

Ray headed out of the bathroom and went to the wardrobe, he pulled his suit out and hung it on the wardrobe with a small smile.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

"Lemme know when you get to London."

Bolton grinned at Whitney. "Poppy is going out with Paul," he told her. "They're meeting at the Vic tonight," he informed her with a small chuckle.

Whitney smiled. "Want to sneak in and see what happens?" she said and ducked her head and took a sip of her tea.

Bolton grinned at her and nodded. "Yeah, we can just go for a quiet drink at the same time," he smiled at her.

"I think we should get some breakfast," she suggested.

Bolton nodded and drained the tea from the mug. "Lemme get up then," he said as he clambered out of the bed.

Whitney watched him go and then took the mugs into the kitchen to wash them.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

"Done, mate," Paul texted back. He leaned back in the seat and smiled again.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\

Chris emerged from the bathroom and went into the kitchen. He looked at Shaz.

"Are you having your hair done, too?" he wanted to know.

Shaz looked up at Chris from where she was trying to keep Olivia from getting too messy with her breakfast. She knew that jam on toast was a bad idea.

"Yeah," she said with a smile as she quickly caught Olivia's jam-covered hand and wiped it with a cloth.

"Well, let me sort her out so you can get ready," Chris offered and sat down. He took the slice of toast and replaced it with one that only had butter on it, sticking the one with jam in his mouth.

"Go on," he said around the toast and waved his hand at her to shoo her away.

Shaz smiled at him and leant over to kiss the top of his head. "Thank you," she smiled warmly before she moved away to the bedroom.

Chris sat Olivia next to the sink and began to clean her face and hands. He then carried her into her room and began to put her in her dress.

He smiled as he looked at her and got out the camera to take a picture of her.

"Who's my gorgeous girl?" he asked her and snapped the picture. He stuck the camera in his pocket and picked his daughter up and went into the front room.

"You ready to go?" he called to Shaz.

Olivia sat in Chris' arms comfortably and smiled at her Dad as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Shaz hurried out, her dressed in jeans and her dress carefully placed in her arms.

"You'll drop me at the Salon?" she asked.

Chris nodded. "Let's go," he said and headed out to the car. He drove Shaz to the salon.

"I'll see you over there," he said and drove to Jack's.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Maggie looked down at her grandchildren with a fond smile and then nodded at Gem

"Pancakes it is," she agreed as she went to dig in the fridge. "Mind you, I say we do some bacon and sausages, too," she added as she pulled the meat out of the fridge along with pancake ingredients. "His lordship will be wanting something more substantial than just pancakes," she shrugged as she went to find a frying pan.

"I think we all will, I imagine it's going to be a long day," Gem remarked and went straight to where she knew the pans would be. She expertly lit up the stove and put the frying pans next to the stove.

"She organizes the kitchen the same way I do, suppose that's only natural," Gem said with a chuckle.

Maggie smiled as she handed over the ingredients for the pancakes and opened the packet of bacon.

Gem started on the pancakes, glancing at the ceiling and mentally urging them to hurry up. She shook her head and focused her attention on cooking.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jack got ready and pulled on his boxers and an undershirt and went back downstairs.

"So, guess you'll be leaving soon," he said and pulled on his dressing gown. "I'll make sure it's all neat back there," he gestured at the garden. "And then I'll get myself all hotted up in my suit."

Alyssa beamed up at him as she wiped the soap from her hands with the tea towel and laid it back on the side.

"Hotted up in your suit," she repeated with a smile and raised her eyebrows at him. "Who says you need a suit to do that?"

Jack leaned over and kissed her.

"Now I remember why I married you," he teased.

Alyssa smiled at him and patted his cheek.

"Uh huh," she grinned and then went to look at her phone. Still nothing. She sighed.

"And now I'm at a loose end," she sighed.

"Probably not for long," Jack said and headed outside to make sure it was tidy and spotless. He sat down to smoke with a sigh.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Rowan went in and grabbed a baggy top and her favorite, well-worn pair of jeans. She intended to be as comfortable as possible before all the foundation garments went on. She brushed a hand over the garment bag that held her dress and the rest and walked downstairs with him.

She smiled at the twins and poured herself a cup of coffee and Ray a cup of tea and then joined them at the table. She duly kissed each twins before sitting down.

"Morning," she said to Louisa.

"Morning, yourself," Louisa said back.

"Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yes, actually, it was a bit quiet around here so Gem enjoyed it."

Rowan nodded.

Gem caught sight of Rowan and Ray walking past and looked at Maggie. "About time," she muttered and set about flipping the pancakes.

Maggie gave Gem a knowing look and chuckled as she turned the sausages over.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Ray got himself dressed then followed Rowan downstairs. He smiled at the sight of his family gathered downstairs and Gem and Maggie busy in the kitchen.

He went directly to the twins and patted them both on the head. "Morning," he smiled at them and Louisa and looked over at Gem and Maggie.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked.

Maggie looked over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "Food," she said shortly then turned back to the frying pan.

Gem chuckled at Maggie's response to Ray and started stacking pancakes on plates and carrying them out. She grabbed up the platter of sausages and the rest of the pancakes and left the bacon and toast for Maggie to carry.

Maggie laid the bacon and toast on the table then sat down alongside her son. She rolled her eyes as he immediately grabbed at the bacon and took a slice of toast and a couple of sausages for herself.

The twins immediately dug in.

"We goed for a walk this morning," Claire told her father.

Ray stopped stuffing his face for a moment to look at Claire. "So your Mam said," he smiled at her. "Have fun?" he asked as he started on a sausage.

"Yes," Claire nodded. "We was the only people."

Ray smiled at her and nodded. "I imagine so; it's very early after all."

"Was it nice?" Rowan asked and glanced at Gem and Maggie. Gem nodded.

"Not quiet enough, I've loved seeing you and the little ones, but I miss home."

Rowan picked up some toast and bacon and began to eat, but she wasn't very hungry. Ray may have been nervous earlier, but it was hitting her now. She ate quickly and then picked up her dishes and put them in the kitchen.

She sat back down and sipped her coffee, ignoring the looks Gem was sending her.

"Are you ready to go, Lou?" she asked Louisa.

"Yes, I think so," she replied.

"Then, let's go," Rowan said. She looked at Ray.

"I've got Charlie scheduled to pick you all when it's time," she told him and kissed him.

"Ewwwwww," the twins chorused and Gem snorted a laugh.

Rowan broke off the kiss and smiled at the twins before giving each of them a one-armed hug.

Ray sighed as he watched Rowan and Louisa leave then looked at the twins and smiled before shovelling down the rest of his breakfast.

Louisa quickly cleaned up her mess and followed Rowan upstairs to get their things.

They carried their dresses to the car and Rowan sent off a quick text to Alyssa to let her know she was on the way to the salon before starting up the car and driving off.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jane began carrying food down to Peter's car and loading it up. She bit her lip, wondering if maybe they'd made too much food, although, Rowan was well-liked and the whole Square probably would show up for a party. At least Rowan had been smart enough to only buy a few bottles of champagne for a toast and if people wanted anything else, they had to buy. Otherwise, the pair would end up bankrupt.

She locked the flat and went upstairs, rapping on the door before opening it.

"I've got all the food from my place loaded up," she called in.

"Okay, be right there," Peter called out. "Ready, Molls?" he asked her.

Molly went and opened the door for Jane and smiled. "I don't suppose there's any more space in the car for this lot?" she asked as she gestured inside at the food.

"Or will we have to make another trip?" she asked as she looked at the kitchen.

Jane looked at all the food. "We can probably fit some of it, but it's going to definitely take two trips."

She picked up a couple of things and jerked her head. "Let's get busy; I've still got to get ready."

Molly nodded. "Peter! I'm going to help Jane unload the first car-full," she called out before shutting the door and following Jane outside and into the car.

"Right, I'll get this lot sorted," he called back.

"So helping make all this food, have you decided if you're going to try and stay at the club with Roxy or are you going to see if you can find a restaurant to manage? You might ask Rowan; with all that's going on she might like to have someone to put in charge so she doesn't necessarily have to close up if she has problems. I think she's having Syed in charge while she goes on her honeymoon, to try it out."

She paused a moment. "You know, I maybe could use someone to help run the cafe," she told Molly.

Molly shrugged. "Well I've kind of got to talk to Roxy first, I'm done with my business management course so it's not like I can't do the daytime hours any more," she said. Her face brightened and she nodded. "I'd be more than happy to help you out Jane, just say the word," she smiled eagerly.

"Well, let me know right away what happens when Roxy gets back," Jane told her as she began unloading the food from the car. Syed saw them and hurried over.

"Hey, getting all ready for the party I see," he said and picked up some of the food to carry inside.

Molly nodded. "I will, and thanks," she beamed.

Molly grabbed a couple of the platters and followed Jane and Syed to the door.

Jane put out the food on the tables that were set up for it. She looked at Molly.

"Why don't you go back and get the rest? Syed and I can finish setting up."

"Yeah, go get the rest. There's decorations to finish, too," Syed added.

Molly nodded. "Sure," she agreed as she took the car keys and drove the car back home. She ran upstairs and opened the front door.

"Right," she said happily. "You think we can fit the rest of this in the car and manage just one journey?" she asked as she picked up as much as she could manage.

Peter picked up a couple of platters and nodded at Molly's question. "I think so, if I don't ride back with you," he said and began to carry things down.

Molly nodded and helped him to pack up the car with the rest of the food. She gave him a quick kiss once the car was all packed up and got back in to drive back over the square. She pulled up outside and began to unload the car.

Jane and Syed came out to help with the rest of the food.

"We got the decorations started," Jane told Molly. "Everything should be ready in plenty of time."

Molly nodded as she finished unloading the car and went to help with the decorations

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Alyssa watched him go outside then squealed with excitement as her phone beeped. She grinned at Rowan's text then sent her own to Tanya saying that Rowan was on the way. She hurried to the backdoor and went outside. She gave Jack a kiss on the cheek and beamed at him.

"Rowan's on her way, I'm off," she smiled at him.

She grabbed her dress and made her way to the Salon, meeting Tanya along the way.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Paul got off the train and flagged down a taxi to go to Walford. He sent off a quick text to Bolton.

"Just off train. In a taxi on my way."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

"Now, you two will let Maggie and I get you ready so your father can get himself dressed," Gem said to the twins. They nodded.

Claire looked at Maggie. "Will you still curdle my hair?" she asked.

Maggie laughed. "I won't curdle it Claire, but I will curl it for you," she agreed as she ushered her granddaughter towards the stairs.

Claire bounded up the stairs and went into the bathroom to wash her face and hands. She pointed at her dress, which Rowan had hung on the doorknob of her and Ray's room, along with Denis' suit.

"I'm gonna be a Princess," she insisted and smiled up at Maggie.

Maggie beamed down at her and nodded. "You certainly are," she agreed as she nodded at the bathroom. "Go clean your teeth and then we'll get you all princessed up," she smiled.

Claire nodded and climbed back up on the step so she could brush her teeth.

"Ready!" she announced.

Maggie smiled at Claire as she came back down and took her hand. She led her to the kitchen and sat her down at the table.

"Sit still and I'll curl your hair for you," she said as she went to get the curling tongs. She came back a moment later and plugged them in. She waited for them to heat up then set about carefully curling Claire's hair for her.

Claire sat happily, taking great care not to muss her dress and hold still while Gramma curled her hair. She held the clips in her hand and toyed with them while she waited.

Maggie finished curling and carefully took the clips from Claire and used them to hold her hair in place. She smiled as she pulled down a mirror and gave it Claire.

"There now," she smiled.

Claire grinned at herself in the mirror. "I look pretty," she said smugly.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Gem finished eating and began to clear up the table. She looked at Ray and sat down. She gazed at him intently for a moment and then spoke.

"I do approve of you, you know," she told him. "When she first told me, I wasn't sure; I'll admit that here and now. But you've been good for her."

She patted Ray's hand.

"Now you best get ready, take the little man with you, I'll finish here and then go up."

Ray smiled gratefully at Gem. "Thank you," he told her as he finished his breakfast. "It means a lot," he added.

Ray nodded and looked at Denis.

"Come on then, mate, we've got to go and look all smart and handsome for the ladies," he grinned as he gestured towards the stairs.

Denis sighed. He didn't want to get dressed up. Girls did that. He trudged behind his father and went upstairs.

Gem quickly cleaned up the breakfast mess and then went upstairs herself to change. She pulled the multicolored robe from her bag and smiled as she stripped down and pulled it on over her head and then belted it with a slim white length of cord. She pulled the black silk bag containing her tools out and then slipped into a comfortable pair of sandals. She was ready.

She walked came downstairs from the twins' room and went into the front room to wait.

Ray smiled at Denis and took his son's suit from where it was hung up. "You done your teeth?" he asked. He would dress Denis then sit him in front of the TV or leave him with Maggie and Gem while he sorted himself out. He wanted to look his best.

Denis sighed heavily and went to brush his teeth. He let Ray help him into the suit and trudged to the couch to watch TV. He glanced over at Claire getting her hair curled. It just wasn't right.

He folded his arms across his chest and glared at the TV.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Rowan pulled up in front of the salon and carefully pulled the bag with her dress out. She looked over at Louisa.

"I'm suddenly so nervous!" she said and Louisa laughed.

"Well, don't show it," Louisa told her and slung an arm around Rowan's shoulders. "Ray should look terrified, but you have to look...serene," she told her.

Rowan chuckled. "Well, I don't feel very serene," she said and headed into the salon.

"So, pretend."

Rowan handed her dress to Louisa, since Louisa already had her hair ready, and smiled. "Do your worst," she challenged.

Alyssa half-squealed and rushed towards Rowan and Louisa, she pulled Rowan into a hug and then smiled broadly.

"How is the blushing bride?" she asked as she went and gave Louisa a hug, too, then looked expectantly at Rowan.

Rowan let out an "oof" as Alyssa barreled into her. She smiled.

"The bride is more nervous than she's ever been in her entire life and I don't know why! I was fine until I got in the car," she complained. Louisa giggled.

"I would have thought having some time alone this morning would calm you down," Louisa teased and Rowan blushed.

Tanya came downstairs and smiled at the three women. "Go upstairs, Kim, Maddie and Gayna are all ready and waiting," she smiled as she stood back. Alyssa beamed at Rowan and Louisa and then frowned.

"Where's Shaz?" she asked, a little annoyed and she walked to the window to see Shaz climbing out of the car with her dress. She smiled and went to get the door. Shaz hurried in and looked at Alyssa.

"Yes I know I'm a little late, Lyss," she said with a smile as she hung her dress next to Alyssa's on the banister of the stairs. She looked at Rowan then went to give her a hug.

"You excited?" she asked

Rowan looked up as Shaz came over.

"I was just saying how nervous I am," Rowan told her and let out a long breath. "Let's get this over with," she whined and headed up the stairs.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Paul got out of the cab in front of the pub and looked around. Where was Bolton?

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

"Hey, Chris," Jack greeted and tweaked Olivia's chin. "I've got the kettle on," he offered.

"Yeah, brew would be good, ta," Chris said and put Olivia on the couch. "How's it going at school?"

Jack sighed. "Summer break too short. I've got an old co-worker I'm planning to hire. He's coming here to meet with me tomorrow. Should be good."

"You don't sound too sure about that."

"Well, he hated me for a long time, but I think he's forgiven me now, I hope so anyway. It was a long time ago."

"Well, if he still hated you I don't think he'd be coming to see you about a job, would he? He'd have just told you to get lost."

"Very true," Jack said as he poured the water and then brought Chris his mug.

"Does she want some juice? We've got bottles and sippy cups from babysitting the twins."

"Sure, a towel to use as a bib would be good," Chris said, eyeing Olivia's dress. He didn't want to be the one responsible for Olivia making a mess of it.

Jack got Chris and Olivia sorted out and then went outside to have a cigarette.

He glanced at his watch and wondered how long before the others got here.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Ray looked at himself in the mirror. He smoothed down his shirt and straightened his tie. He swallowed nervously and shuffled slightly before finally emerging from the bedroom. He looked directly at Maggie.

"Well?" he asked.

Maggie looked up from Claire and a proud smile lit her face as she stepped forward and looked him over. Ray sighed and opened his arms as he saw the tears threatening to spill over. "C'mere, Mam," he said softly and wrapped her in his arms.

"You better not get tears on this," he mumbled quietly and she smacked his arm lightly.

"You look magnificent, Ray," she told him as she undid his tie and redid it. Ray smiled at her. "Thanks," he whispered and looked at Denis.

"You mate, look properly smart!" he said as he moved over to his son. "Your Mam is gonna be so proud of you," he said happily then turned to look at Claire.

Denis frowned. "Dressing up is for girls. Don't wanna look smart," he grouched.

Ray frowned and Denis and leaned over to whisper to him.

"I don't like dressing up either mate, but it'll make your Mam happy so just bear with it until tonight okay?" he asked.

Denis sighed heavily, but nodded.

"Mam, why is there a princess in the kitchen? And where's Claire?" he asked Maggie.

Claire twirled around. "Princess, princess," she sang and danced around. She looked back. "Canwegonow? Wanna see Mummy."

Ray looked over at Claire and nodded. "We can head over to Uncle Jack's once the taxi gets here," he promised her.

Gem stood up and walked over. She looked Ray up and down. "Very nice," she said. She looked at the twins and smiled.

Ray grinned at Gem. "Cheers," he smiled at her.

Gem looked at Maggie. "Are we ready to become family?"

Maggie grinned at Gem and nodded. "I'd say so," she replied as she brushed at her tears.

"I heared honking," Claire announced and ran out the flat door and thundered down the steps. She caught sight of Charlie's cab and began to pound on the door while shouting "he's here!"

Gem looked at Ray. "I think our ride is here," she said at the sound of Claire's yells. She put an arm around Maggie's shoulders and walked with her towards the door.

Denis took Ray's hand and looked up at him. "Let's go see Mummy so I don hafta wear this anymore."

Ray smiled at his son and followed Maggie and Gem down the stairs. He ushered his family towards the cab.

Charlie got out of the cab as he saw Ray and the others coming out. He smiled and bowed at Maggie and quickly opened the cab door for her to get in. His smile faltered as Gem looked him up and down, but he cleared his throat and looked at Ray.

Maggie chuckled at Charlie as she climbed into the cab and made sure there was plenty of room for everyone else.

"She's a great girl, you're very lucky," he told Ray and smiled.

Ray nodded at Charlie solemnly. "I know," he said with a smile. "I feel lucky," he added with a grin as he waited for Claire and Denis to get inside.

"I'm a princess," Claire informed him and he nodded. "Yes, you are darlin'," he agreed.

Ray chuckled at Claire and climbed into the car after Denis.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Shaz was the first one finished. She went aside into another room and slid her dress on carefully so as not to ruin her hair. She smiled as she came out and sat down to watch the others have their hair and makeup done.

Alyssa looked at Shaz through the mirror as Maddie expertly styled her hair.

"Shaz, you look gorgeous!" she exclaimed and Maddie frowned and moved her head back to where she wanted. Alyssa pulled a face and sat perfectly still, watching Shaz as she did so.

"You do look stunning, Shaz," Rowan said, watching Shaz from the corner of her eye. She had no intention of moving her head. She would behave. She fidgeted her fingers, but avoided picking at the polish on her nails and kept as still as she could while her hair and make up were done. She hoped Ray appreciated all this.

"Ray better appreciate all this," Rowan said, voicing her thoughts aloud. Louisa chuckled.

"Hope you don't give him a heart attack," she remarked.

Alyssa chuckled. "I bet he feels the same way about being forced into a suit," she commented with a small laugh. "Doesn't he hate dressing up?"

Shaz nodded. "I think that's one of the reasons he doesn't wear suits to work, mind you, Gene did tell him he wasn't to wear them to work because he looked like a maths teacher," She said with a giggle.

"Ray looks amazing in a suit," Rowan said. "I can't wait to see how they all look."

She shifted in her seat.

"Am I done yet?" she asked, but couldn't help the whine in her tone.

Tanya held Rowan's shoulders to keep her still as she reached for the can of hairspray. She carefully made sure that everything was in place then let Rowan up.

"You're done," she announced.

Alyssa turned her head to look at Rowan a grin spread over her face. "You look gorgeous Ro, I can't wait to see you in your dress!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Rowan smiled. "Really?" she said and took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. She didn't even recognize herself! "Ray's not even gonna know me!" she blurted in surprise as she admired what Tanya had done with her hair, especially the flowers. She stood up.

"I guess I should put the dress on," she said and went into another room to change. She struggled into the lingerie and then carefully began to put on the dress. At least it was uncomplicated enough she could get into it without help. She carefully smoothed it and then slipped on the heels Alyssa had insisted she wear and walked back into the other room.

"Okay, I'm ready," Rowan said and took another deep breath and let it out.

Alyssa was sitting next to Shaz now that Maddie had finished with her and was waiting impatiently. Her breath caught at the sight of Rowan and she beamed.

"Ro, you look..." she paused for a moment as she struggled to find the right word. "Ethereal," she said and Shaz nodded in agreement.

"Beautiful Rowan, completely stunning," she said. "Ray's in for a shock," she laughed.

"Really?" she asked uncertainly. She ran her hands over the front of the dress again. She looked at Alyssa and Shaz and smiled nervously. She pressed her lips together and gave a shaky breath.

"Thank you," she said to Tanya and found her fingers straying to her mother's bracelet.

Tanya beamed at the group of women and nodded at Rowan. "You're welcome," she smiled.

"I'm ready to go then," she said. "I don't want Ray to think I'm not coming."

She picked up a small white bag and carefully walked to the stairs and began to negotiate her way down. She waited at the bottom of the stairs and held out the keys to Shaz.

"Would you drive?" she asked and opened the salon door.

Shaz nodded amiably. "Of course," she smiled as she took the keys and moved towards the car.

Rowan looked at Shaz gratefully and carefully climbed into the back seat of the car.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Bolton looked up at Whitney.

"How'd you fancy going into Walford and meeting up with Paul before his date?" he asked her.

Whitney looked up from the dress she was sketching and nodded.

"Sure, he could come round here if you want," she told him. She knew he wasn't crazy about his bedsit and although Whitney's flat wasn't posh, it was larger and cleaner than Bolton's.

"I can throw some lunch together."

Bolton grinned and nodded. He leant over to kiss her and glanced at her sketch.

"It's good," he told her.

She smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna go and meet him in Walford and then walk him here, you sure you don't mind making lunch?"

She nodded at his question. "Yeah, no probs, I've got fish fingers and chips in the freezer," she told him, trying to imitate his Manc accent.

"That, was rubbish" he told her with a grin before kissing her again and heading out the door to go and meet Paul.

"Let me know where you are mate."

Whitney shrugged with a chuckle. "I tried though," she said.

She got up after he left and made sure the flat was basically tidy and got the fish fingers and chips out and got them ready to go into the oven.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Paul looked at his phone and sighed with relief.

"At the pub, mate," he sent back and then waited.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Lauren walked into the flat.

"Hey, Whit," she called out.

"Hey, Lauren. How's your morning?"

"Well, I went for a jog and then I went to the cafe for some breakfast. I saw Charlie for a few minutes, but that was all. I think he was on his way to Annie's," she added with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lauren," Whitney said, her tone full of sympathy. "Bolton's mate is on his way over, want to help me cook lunch?"

"Sure," she said and looked at what Whitney was making. She began to laugh.

"What?"

"Fish fingers and chips," Lauren said. "Surely you can do better than that?"

"I don't want to do anything fancy," Whitney said. "He's going out with Poppy tonight, they might have dinner."

"Ahhhh," Lauren said, her tone mirroring her understanding.

"So, which mate is it of his that's coming?"

"Paul, do you remember him?" Whitney said.

Lauren thought about it a moment. "I went to that party with him, that night you went with Bolton didn't you?"

Whitney nodded. "Yep, that was it."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Bolton made his way into Walford and headed straight for the pub. He grinned and waved at Paul as he spotted him.

"Heya mate!" he exclaimed. "How's everything?" he asked.

Paul waved back. "Bout time you got here, mate. The looks I was getting, for just standing here," he said. He gestured at the pub. "We going in or what?"

Bolton looked at the pub and nodded. "I guess we can," he smiled. "Whit's doing some food so we've got time until it's cooked," he smiled as he led the way inside. He got them both drinks then sat down.

"So, excited?" he asked with a grin.

Paul shrugged. "Yeah, guess so. She looks well fit in her picture, so, you know, why not go for it?" He ordered a pint and sat down at the bar.

"How's life down here in London?"

Bolton grinned. "It's brilliant, great job, beautiful girlfriend, I'm living the dream mate," he chuckled.

"You should move down here!" he said with a grin. "Seriously! We can ask Molly if she needs anyone to help with the Club, get you a job there," he suggested. "You remember Molly? She's still with Peter," he added with a shrug.

"Molly? Did I go to the party with her? Thought her name started with an L."

Bolton grinned. "Molly was the one that turned you down, you went to the party with Lauren," he reminded him with a laugh.

"Oh yeah," Paul said. "Ahh, I dunno about living here, mate, it's dead expensive living here, innit."

Bolton shrugged. "It's not so bad," he said. "But yeah, quite a bit more than Manchester," he agreed.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jack heard the car pull up outside and went to the window to look out.

"Ray and them are here," he told Chris.

"Won't be long now," Chris said.

"But for Ray, it's the rest of his life," Jack joked.

"Not funny mate," Chris said, but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

Jack saw them approaching the door and quickly opened it.

"Wondering if anyone was going to turn up," Jack quipped and smiled widely.

Ray wandered up to the front door quickly and headed inside. Now he was here he was feeling nervous again. He knew she'd turn up, she'd promised she would. But still, he was still feeling a little jittery. Maggie followed him and slid her hand into his, she squeezed.

"Calm down," she told him. "Relax, she'll be here," she assured him.

"Now, I want to see what Jack's done to this garden of his," she said and Ray chuckled as he led her outside.

Jack followed Ray and Maggie out.

"I hope it looks okay," he said and looked around. He'd worked hard, but he still wasn't sure. He looked down at the ground. "I'll have to sweep the stones again, won't do for Rowan to get dust all over her dress," he mused idly, unaware he was talking out loud.

Maggie beamed at Jack as she surveyed the garden. "It looks beautiful, Jack, you've done a spectacular job," she praised and Ray grinned at Jack.

"You got Mam's seal of approval," he shrugged.

Jack grinned at Maggie and started talking to her about the flowers he'd planted.

Gem wandered around the front room and then walked to the back to look at the garden. Jack had done a good job. The flowers were lovely. She walked over to Jack and touched his shoulder.

"May I borrow that?" she asked him with a gesture at the small bistro table where he sat and smoked. Jack looked at her and nodded.

"Yes, why?" he wondered.

"Move it over near that arch, you'll find out soon enough."

She then walked over to Ray and put a hand on his arm. "If you would come inside with me for a moment," she said to him and led him inside and down the hall to talk to him privately.

"I came for one reason, well, two, one of course to see Rowan happily married, and the other to handfast her before the wedding. I know I surprised her by coming, for the simple reason that she didn't expect I would make the journey. She should not have doubted it, how could I not, knowing what she wanted?"

"So, we will have a small ceremony before your person gets here for your wedding," she held up a hand. "You will both be wearing robes, so none of that about seeing her in her wedding dress, you hear?" she added.

She opened a canvas bag she had brought and pulled out a white robe. "You'll put this on over your suit, you might want to take the jacket off, however," she told him.

Ray listened to Gem in silence. He remembered Rowan suggesting a Handfasting Ceremony when they were discussing marriage, or more accurately, when he was still begging her to consider marrying him. He took the robe from Gem and slid off his jacket. He pulled on the robe and smoothed it out and looked at her.

"Rowan mentioned handfasting to me before, I kinda know what's involved but you may want to go over it with me, just so I know what I'm doing," he told her. He wanted everything to be perfect, and if Gem and Rowan wanted to do a Handfasting then he would oblige them.

Gem shook her head. "You really don't have to do anything. I'm going to keep it short and simple. I'll tell you what to say and then I'll bind yours and Rowan's wrists with a cord she'll have braided out of ribbon. You'll have to take it off for the wedding part, but that's fine."

Ray nodded along with her and smiled.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

"So, Paul is going on a date with Poppy?" Lauren wanted to know.

"Yeah, I wanted to help out and so I asked Bolton to ask one of his friends. But don't say anything."

Lauren held up her hands and shook her head. "She won't hear nothing from me," Lauren promised.

"Just wanted her to think that dating site would actually work, you know?"

Lauren nodded. "I know. Who knows, maybe they'll hit it off?"

Whitney shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."

She pulled the food out of the oven and placed the baking sheets on the counter. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Lauren.

"Now, where the hell are they?" she huffed and Lauren chuckled. Whitney picked up her phone.

"Food's ready. Where R U?" she texted to Bolton.

"Maybe you should leave those in the oven so they won't get cold."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Bolton looked down at his phone and chuckled.

"C'mon, Whit says the food's done," he said as he drained his pint and stood up.

Bolton walked with Paul to Whitney's shop and smiled before going inside and heading upstairs.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Shaz pulled up outside Jack and Alyssa's home and got out of the car with Rowan, Louisa and Alyssa. Alyssa took Rowan's hand and squeezed as she pulled her keys out of her bag and went to open the front door.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

He got up and gladly followed Bolton to Whitney's flat.

Whitney smiled at Bolton and Paul as they came in.

"Hiya, thanks for inviting me for lunch," Paul said and gave Whitney a wave.

"Sure, it's not a problem," Whitney replied and gestured at Lauren. "This is my flatmate, Lauren, I guess you remember her?"

"Yeah, alright?" he said and briefly shook Lauren's hand.

"I'm okay, thanks," Lauren said and turned to get plates from the cupboard. Paul watched her appreciatively. She was still pretty hot.

Bolton smiled at Whitney as he went over and got himself a drink from the fridge.

"We weren't too long were we?" he asked her.

"Yes, you should have said you were going to stop for a pint and I would have waited to cook the food," she scolded him. "Now, sit down and eat."

Lauren looked at Paul and chuckled as she sat down.

"So, you excited about your date with Poppy tonight?" she asked.

Paul shrugged. "She seems all right, why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, you know, first date and all that," Lauren replied blandly and began to eat.

Paul looked at her, then at Whitney and Bolton. Something was definitely up.

Rowan squeezed Alyssa's hand back and smiled nervously at the others. She carefully hitched up her dress and followed Alyssa into the house.

Gem heard them coming and quickly shooed Ray outside. She went into the front room and smiled tearfully at Rowan.

"You look a picture," she commented. She glanced at the other girls. "You all do," she added. She quickly helped Rowan put on a white robe.

She looked at the others and carefully pulled the hood up over Rowan's hair. "For those who have a thing about seeing the bride before the wedding," she told them with a small chuckle.

"Now, I've got Ray and everything set up outside, so let's get this done before whoever it is shows up to do your wedding," Gem said. Rowan followed Gem outside and into the circle Gem had set up and stood next to Ray. Gem closed the circle and then stood before Rowan and Ray and once everyone was ready, she began….


	15. Chapter 15

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City**

**Chapter 15**

Rowan gave Ray a quick smile before going back into the house to take off the robe. Louisa walked over and took Ray's robe and then she gave him a hug.

"Welcome to the family, blessed be," she said and kissed his cheek, then walked over to Maggie and did the same to her.

Maggie smiled at Gem, she wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but she accepted it nonetheless, clearly it was a tradition of sorts for where Rowan was from.

She looked up as the doorbell went again and squeezed Rowan's hand once before hurrying to get it.

Jack helped Gem put things back and glanced at Alyssa when he heard the doorbell.

"Better get that, love," he said to her as he carried the small table back to where it belonged.

Rowan finished checking her hair over in the bathroom and walked out and smiled at Alyssa.

"I'm not nervous anymore," she said and clasped her hands together.

Alyssa beamed at Rowan. "I'm glad," she grinned.

Chris patted Ray on the arm. "Well, that's done, mate. Pretty different," he commented. He grinned when he heard the doorbell.

"Nervous?" he chuckled.

Ray frowned at Chris. "Think nervous is a bit of an understatement at the moment," he half-smiled. "I'm bricking it," he added.

"You'll be fine," Chris said and patted his arm. He craned his neck back to see inside. "Looks like the Guv and Alex are here," he noted.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Gene pulled up in front of Jack's house and saw the registrar just ringing the bell.

"At least we're not that late," he said to Alex with a sigh and hurriedly got out of the car and opened the back door and ushered Sammy out. He picked the boy up and strode to the door.

"Don't know why you women can't get ready faster," he muttered as he reached the door. He gave the registrar a friendly nod and looked back at Alex.

Alex frowned at him as she followed. "Well I apologise for my hair not behaving," she said sarcastically. "I couldn't turn up to a wedding looking like I'd just got out of bed, could I?"

"But you look good when you just get out of bed," Gene murmured and grinned at her. He followed Alex and the registrar inside and glanced around.

Alyssa opened the door and smiled as she stood back to let the Registrar inside then beamed at Alex and Gene and Sammy.

"Hey," she smiled at them as they passed her and she shut the door behind them.

"Outside, right?" Gene asked no one in particular and went out to the garden.

He clapped Ray on the shoulder. "Raymondo, thought you were getting married, there's no bride in there," he said then winked to show he was kidding when he saw the panic on Ray's face.

"She's in there, and she looks pretty fantastic, I have to say. Not sure how you managed that," he added.

He walked over to Maggie and smiled at her as he patted her hand. "Nice day for it," he remarked and glanced at Gem before blinking at the way she was scrutinizing him.

"DSI Gene Hunt, Ray's boss," he introduced himself.

Gem nodded. "I know," she said simply and Gene nearly gaped. "And you are?"

"Gem," she said again in the same tone. Gene grunted. He'd heard that name before. He nodded slightly.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Likewise," Gem returned and smiled. "And you," she said, leaning forward and addressing Alex.

Gene distracted himself with watching the registrar come up and shake Ray's hand then take his place.

The man cleared his throat. "If we're ready to begin?" he asked and looked at Ray.

Rowan waved and gave Alex a nervous smile before her fingers strayed back to her mother's bracelet. She blinked quickly. It wouldn't do to cry right now and ruin all of Tanya's hard work.

She watched the others go outside and swallowed hard as she heard the registrar's voice asking if they were ready to begin.

"Let's get started," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she gestured Alyssa to precede her and then followed her outside.

Alyssa smiled and squeezed Rowan's hand once before turning around and heading outside.

Ray exhaled in relief. He hadn't thought that Rowan would run off, especially now that they'd just done the handfasting, but he was still a little tense.

Alex patted Ray's shoulder lightly. "You look nice," she commented as she looked him up and down. "Rowan looks beautiful by the way, radiant," she told him and he nodded silently. Alex sighed.

"Hey, calm down Ray. She's not going to run off or suddenly have a change of mind okay," she insisted.

"Okay," he muttered quietly.

Alex looked up at Gem and smiled cautiously.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Nice to meet you, too," she said then looked around for Sammy so that she could get him to sit still for the ceremony.

Ray nodded at the registrar as he looked around to make sure that people were sorting themselves out. He reached out and grabbed Denis and pulled him along to stand next to him. He crouched down to look at his son and smiled broadly at him.

"You're gonna be good right, Denis?" he asked as he straightened his son's suit.

Denis frowned and brushed at his father's hands. "I fine, leaveusalone," he complained and frowned then caught sight of Alyssa and then Rowan walking behind her and he pointed.

"Mummy," he said softly.

Claire jumped up from her chair near the door and grabbed Alyssa's hand to walk with her, glancing back at Rowan.

"Mummy so pretty," she exclaimed and looked up at Alyssa. "You is too," she added quickly.

Rowan smiled and swallowed hard. It was almost over. She looked at Ray and felt her heart skip a beat. She caught sight of Gem smiling at her and her own smile widened slightly. She was so glad Gem had made the journey here.

Ray's head shot up and he gently patted Denis on the head as he rose and looked past Alyssa and Claire so that he could see Rowan. He felt his breath leave him as he watched her, whatever they'd done to her at that Salon she looked stunning. He smiled broadly at her.

Alyssa smiled down at Claire and nodded. "Your Mummy looks beautiful," she agreed as she lead Claire down the aisle.

Rowan stopped next to Ray and smiled up at him. "You approve?" she asked him softly.

Claire stood next to Alyssa and clamped her lips shut. She would behave. She would.

Ray smiled at her and carefully slid his hand into hers. "How could I not?" he replied gently.

Alyssa looked down at Claire and squeezed her hand gently with a smile. She was amazed that Claire was standing so still and being so quiet!

/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\

Jane sat down and smiled as she looked around the club.

"I think we did a great job," she remarked with a sigh.

"Well, I have to go and fetch my date and make sure he's all hotted up for the party," Syed said. "See you in a while."

Jane waved at him and then looked over at Peter and Molly.

"I guess we should all get ready," she said. "They'll be here before we know it."

Peter slung his arm around Molly's shoulders.

"Yeah, let's go get ourselves looking gorgeous," he agreed and led her from the club.

Jane finished getting ready for the party and then waiting by the building door for Peter and Molly.

Peter straightened his tie and checked his watch. "Ready, Molls?"

Molly twirled and then nodded as she took his hand. "Ready," she smiled at him.

"Oh, you look fantastic," Peter said and gave her a quick kiss. "Tempting to give the party a miss, but I think you'd kill me," he joked and took her arm to lead her downstairs. He gave Jane a wave.

"Bout time you two," Jane said and started off to the club at a brisk walk.

Molly gave Jane a small smile as she followed Peter down the stairs and then out of the door. She couldn't wait to see what Rowan looked like!

/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\

Bradley cleared his throat and walked over to Annie where she sat sunning herself on a bench in the Square. She shaded her eyes and looked up at him curiously.

"Can I help you?"

Bradley smiled. "I was just wondering if you might like to have lunch with me?"

Annie straightened up and looked at him. "Really?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

Bradley nodded. "Why not?"

Annie considered it for a moment and then shrugged. "Why not?" she echoed and smiled as she stood. "Lead on."

Charlie walked towards the cafe and saw some man with longish red hair talking to Annie. He frowned as he felt a flash of jealousy. He watched them walk to the cafe and decided he wasn't in the mood for the cafe. He turned and headed into the pub and wondered if Lauren was free. Maybe he should call her. Maybe he should call Annie and interrupt her.

He put his face in his hands with a sigh. He wished he could figure out what he was doing.

Bradley led Annie to the Arghee Bhajee and to his favorite table.

Charlie followed them and watched them go inside. He wondered if Lauren was free and quickly sent off a text.

/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Lauren put down the fish finger she'd been about to eat and picked up her phone.

"Oh, Charlie wants me to have lunch with him, laters," she said and nearly knocked over her chair in her haste to get out.

Whitney looked at Bolton and began to laugh before picking up Lauren's plate and exchanging it for her empty one that she hadn't filled yet.

"So, she's got a nice boyfriend then?" Paul asked. He had sort of liked Lauren once, after all.

Whitney tilted her head. "Well, they're just mates still, but Lauren wants it to be more."

"Ahhh," Paul said and ate some more.

Bolton grinned at Whitney; Paul was in for a rough time if it was Jodie and Poppy. He honestly didn't know how Darren coped.

Bolton chuckled as he watched Lauren run off and looked at Whit once he heard the door slam.

"I hope he's not messing her around," he commented.

Whitney sighed. "Me too. Hopefully him asking her to lunch is a good sign," she said and held up her hand and crossed her fingers.

/\\/\/\\\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\

Lauren ran up to Charlie and smiled quickly as she stopped to catch her breath.

"You didn't have to run, it wasn't urgent, just lunch," he teased.

She gave him a light punch in the arm. "I know, but this way I've worked up an appetite," she quipped and took his arm.

Charlie chose a table where he could see Annie and Bradley and made sure Lauren didn't see them as he held a chair for her.

Annie saw Charlie come in with Lauren and her happy expression faltered a bit. Bradley wondered at her change and glanced around. He saw Charlie sitting with...was that Lauren?...and reading a menu.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just my ex," she sighed and toyed with her fork.

"We can go somewhere else," Bradley offered.

"No, I have to get used to it if he decides not to leave," she said with a shake of her head.

Tamwar walked over. "Hey, Lauren, you know Bradley is sitting over there," he told her. Charlie forced his face expressionless.

"Really?" she said and craned to look and saw he was sitting with Annie. She looked at Charlie.

"My brother is with your ex," she gasped.

"I was trying to ignore it," Charlie told her.

Lauren nodded. "We'll just leave them where they are," she said to Tamwar.

"Understood," he said.

/\\/\/\\\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan looked up at Ray and kissed him. They were married now, and handfasted, she could scarcely believe it. She leaned over slightly and held her arms out to Claire, who quickly let go of Alyssa's hand and bolted over. Rowan picked her up.

"Mummy, you so pretty today," Claire told her.

"You are too, sweetheart," Rowan said and looked down at Denis. "And look how handsome Denis is," she remarked. Denis smiled and tugged on his father's jacket to be picked up.

Ray stooped down and picked his son up off the floor and held him proudly in his arms. He followed Rowan to sign the certificate then looked at Denis.

"Right then, I promise that after the party you won't have to wear a suit any time soon," he said with a small smile. "Does look good on you though, Denis," he smiled at his son.

Maggie moved over to Ray and placed a hand on his arm. Ray looked down at her and rolled his eyes

"Whatcha crying for Mam! It's supposed to be a happy day!" he snorted.

Maggie smacked his arm and frowned at him. "They're happy tears," she told her and smiled at Denis. "Looking very smart young man," she smiled at him and she gently adjusted his little tie slightly.

Denis frowned and swiped at her hand.

"Hate suit," Denis grouched.

Maggie laughed at him.

"Nice one, mate," Chris congratulated Ray and then kissed Rowan's cheek.

"I'm glad to see you two finally do this," he told her. He leaned a bit closer. "I don't think we would have worked," he whispered and she giggled and smacked his arm. Chris grinned and moved aside.

Ray grinned at Chris and looked proudly at his son then at his wife and daughter. He smiled as he gave Denis a hug. His own little family. He couldn't be happier. And now all he had to do was whisk Rowan away to Greece for a week and leave the twins in the care of Grandma Maggie.

Rowan followed the registrar to sign the certificate and then stood next to Alyssa.

"I'm glad that's over," she said softly.

Gene walked over and kissed Rowan's cheek. "Never thought I'd see the day," he told her and she blushed. He patted her cheek. "Good girl, now I think it's time to party."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

"You look gorgeous," Jack told Rowan and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, well I'm married to a big mean policeman now, so hands off," she teased and Jack chuckled. He saw Claire's expression and immediately kissed her cheek, too.

"You look very pretty, Claire," he told her and she smiled.

He turned to Alyssa and pulled her into his arms. "I'd really like to tear that dress off you," he whispered in her ear.

"Mummy, we gonna go to the party now? Hungry," Claire whined.

"We'll go in a minute," Rowan said and hushed her daughter.

She smiled and squeezed Alyssa's hand before walking over to where Ray and his mother stood.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and watched her walk away then looked back at Jack. "C'mon, I'm starving!" she insisted as she slid her hand into his and tugged gently.

"Well, let's go, food and drink await," Jack said and gestured. "I suggest we walk. I'm fine to walk home drunk, but not drive," he said and grinned with mischievous glee.

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "It's not like it's far," she agreed. She glanced around at everyone and sighed.

"We should probably leave last though, it is our house after all," she sighed as she watched their friends gradually begin to file out.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Peter walked over to where Jane and Molly were.

"I just got a text from Jack. It's just finished over there so they'll probably all be over here soon," he told them.

Molly nodded at him. "Good, I can't wait to see her dress!" she gushed to Jane.

Molly glanced at the time then went around making last minute checks on all of the food and decorations.

"I know," Jane said with a sigh. "I'm sure she looked lovely."

Molly smiled and nodded. "I still can't wait to see it!" she said.

She cocked an eyebrow at Molly. "When can we expect to see you in one?" she asked curiously.

Molly blushed at Jane then mumbled something, gestured vaguely and hurried off.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Lauren happily ate her lunch, not really noticing that Charlie was distracted by Annie's presence.

"Do you want to go to Rowan's party and eat there instead?" he asked her.

Lauren raised her eyebrows but nodded. "Sure," she said excitedly and stood up with him.

"Sorry, Tam," she said and waved as they left.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Whitney toyed with a fish finger and looked at Paul and Bolton.

"You know, Molly said we'd be welcome to go to that party of Rowan's. Why don't we?" she suggested.

Paul nodded hopefully and looked at Bolton.

Bolton looked curiously at Whitney.

"Will we have to dress up smart?" he asked her.

Whitney shook her head. "I doubt it. They're pretty sure the whole Square is probably going to show up, which is why Rowan didn't do an open bar," she said and chuckled.

"Wise of her," Bolton smiled. He pushed his plate away and looked from Paul to Whitney.

"What're we waiting for?" he asked as he stood up then pointed at Paul. "Don't go getting drunk, you've still got your date!" he reminded him.

"I won't," Paul said in an affronted tone and followed Whitney and Bolton out.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Ray beamed broadly at Rowan as she came over to him and he wrapped his free arm around her waist.

"So, being anxious all morning has made me incredibly hungry," he smiled at her. "How about we go over to the club?" he suggested hopefully.

Rowan looked at him. "You're always hungry, so don't know why you bother with an excuse," she told him.

"Yeah, Daddy, you always eating," Claire agreed smugly and attempted to toss her curls over her shoulder. Rowan walked over near the door and quickly stepped out of the very high heels she was wearing and slipped them into a lower heeled shoe.

"I'm ready," she said and headed out the door without another word. She gathered up her dress, glad it didn't have a ridiculous long train and began to walk briskly across the Square to the club. She waved at people who called to her as she went, Claire imitating every wave.

Ray frowned slightly at Rowan and Claire and looked at Denis.

"I'm not always eating am I?" he asked his son as he made to follow Rowan and Claire down the road to the Club.

Denis looked at his father and nodded.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Rowan went inside R&R and looked around with a smile.

"It looks fantastic in here," she said to Jane.

"You look stunning," Jane told her and gave her a quick hug.

"Me too!" insisted Claire. "I'm a princess."

"Yes, you are," Jane said and tweaked one of Claire's blond curls.

"Gramma curdled it for me," Claire informed her and Jane nodded, keeping her expression serious. She knew better than to laugh out, though she was shaking with it inside.

"We've got loads of food," Jane told her.

"Thank you both so much for this," she said to Jane and Molly.

"You look beautiful, Rowan!" Molly gushed as she stared at the dress in admiration.

"Thank you," Rowan said to Molly and absentmindedly smoothed the dress.

Peter walked over. "I've got the champagne ready so every person who comes will get one free glass," he told Rowan.

"Thank you," she said to him.

Claire leaned over and frowned at him.

"Stop looking at Mummy's boobies," she scolded loudly and Peter blushed. Of course there had to be a lot of people walking in to hear it.

"I wasn't," he insisted and gaped helplessly at Jane and then Molly. Rowan laughed.

"Claire, please don't say that, okay?"

"Okay," Claire said, but kept watching Peter. Peter quickly turned and went back to the bar.

"The perils of a low cut dress," Jane said and grinned. Rowan returned it.

Denis looked at Ray as he heard his sister's voice ringing out. "Claire's gonna get in trouble," he said seriously and frowned.

Ray looked at Denis and shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed as he set his son back on the floor.

Molly looked up as she heard the doors opening and gasped as she saw Rowan coming downstairs into the club. She hurried over and beamed.

Molly held back her laughter at Claire and giggled quietly before waving once and following Peter back to the bar.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jack walked into the club and looked at Alyssa and laughed when he heard Claire's scold.

"Poor kid," he said.

"Somebody put some music on," he called out.

Alyssa shook her head and looked over at Claire with a small smile.

She rolled her eyes as she heard the music come on and took Jack's hand. "Right, dancing," she said as she pulled him onto the dance floor with her.

Jack pulled Alyssa close as she pulled him to the dance floor.

"Let's not get too into this," he said. "Aren't Ray and Rowan supposed to start the dancing?" he asked her curiously

Alyssa looked over at Rowan and Ray and nodded. "Yes, so we wait for them to start it and then join in," she told him and looked at him. "We haven't danced together in ages," she sighed.

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jane winked at Rowan and went over and stood up on a small stage she'd set up.

"Okay, everyone," Jane called out, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "One glass of champagne for everyone and Chris is going to get up here and give his best man speech," Jane said.

Chris looked at Shaz and swallowed hard. He didn't really want to give a speech.

"And after that, Ray and Rowan will start the dancing."

She got down and gestured at Chris to get up and start his speech. He stepped up and cleared his throat loudly before he began and felt complete relief when it was over and everyone clapped politely.

Rowan led the twins over to the buffet and got them both some food and sat them down so they would be quiet for Chris' speech.

"You be good and stay put while your Daddy and I dance, okay?" she said and they both nodded.

Louisa bounded over to the food and looked at the table.

"I am starving!" she exclaimed and picked up a plate and began to take some food.

"Did you find Rowan's recipes easy to follow?" she drawled.

"Yes, it wasn't too bad," Jane replied.

"And you're almost as good a cook as Rowan," Louisa joked, making sure to speak clearly. She knew her accent would make her hard to understand.

She took a bite of pastry and hummed over it.

"Almost?" Jane laughed. "Don't you go home soon?"

Louisa nodded, trying not to laugh which could make her choke. She swallowed the bite.

"Yeah, actually, we fly back tomorrow."

/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Chris finished his speech and gestured for the music to start. Peter nodded and switched it on.

Rowan looked up at Ray and smiled.

"Guess we better start," she said. "They're playing our song."

She took his hand and led him out.

Ray chuckled as he followed Rowan onto the dance floor and looked at her.

"We have a song?" he asked curiously as he pulled her against him.

"Yes, we do, it's playing right now," Rowan replied tartly.

Ray chuckled. "I'll bear it in mind," he told her as he slid his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Have I told you already how beautiful you look?"

Rowan shook her head. "Not yet," she replied flippantly. "I asked if you approved and you basically said yes, but that's it," she grinned at him.

"So, I'm waiting."

Ray shook his head and chuckled. He lowered his lips to her ear.

"You look completely stunning Rowan, I almost lost my breath when I saw you walking down the aisle," he said to her softly.

Rowan shivered and turned her head slightly so her cheek pressed against Ray's and her grip tightened on him slightly.

"You look amazing, too," she whispered back. "I love you."

She moved a bit more and looked up at him before pressing her lips to his softly.

Ray smiled as he pulled her that little bit closer and broke the kiss.

"I love you, too," he told her. "And I'm so happy, Ro," he beamed down at her and squeezed her gently.

Rowan just gazed at him, willing herself not to cry. Instead, she leaned her head against his chest and just enjoyed being close to him. They were as bound as they could be and could barely contain her joy. She had expected to feel some fear or apprehension, but it was conspicuously absent. There was only her love for him and her happiness.

Ray wrapped his arms around her tightly and grinned. They'd finish here and then he'd take her home, help her pack, then they'd go off to Greece. He was sure the twins wouldn't mind staying with their Gran for a week while he and Rowan had their honeymoon. He sighed inwardly, there would probably some tantrums when he told the twins that he and their Mam were going on holiday without them, he did feel a little bit sorry for Maggie if that happened: she'd be the one that would have to pacify them.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Gene slung an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Can't believe Ray is completely settled down now, never thought I'd see the day," he remarked.

Alex smiled at him. "I think the same could be said about you," she commented and poked him in the stomach gently.

She looked over at Ray and Rowan with a smile. "I'll admit when I first met him, and working with him ever since, that I didn't ever think he'd find anybody," she agreed. "I did hope for him though when he met Rowan."

Gene slapped at her hand and looked over where Sammy sat with the twins.

"Rowan was bound to whip him into shape," Gene said and chuckled. "And he didn't even realize she was doing it."

Alex giggled. "I know," she murmured back. "But they're good for each other I think," she added as she tilted her head and watched them.

He leaned over and put his lips to her ear. "Our song is next," he whispered.

Alex turned her head to look at Gene slowly and frowned. "Since when do we have a song?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said and hummed a few bars of "True" in Alex's ear.

Alex's gaze softened and she smiled up at him before resting her head against his arm happily.

Whitney walked over to where Charlie and Lauren were standing.

"Rowan looks amazing," she said and Lauren nodded.

"Glad to see you guys here, much better food."

Paul perked up at the mention of food and caught sight of the buffet. His expression changed to undisguised greed and he nudged Bolton before hurrying over and grabbing a plate.

Lauren suddenly elbowed Whitney.

"Jodie and Poppy are here," she hissed. Whitney looked over at Paul, wondering if she should tell him. No, let him find out on his own.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Alyssa smiled as she saw Rowan and Ray start to dance and tugged on Jack's hand. "Now can we go and dance?" she asked him insistently.

"Your wish is my command," Jack said agreeably and swung Alyssa out on the floor.

Jack whirled Alyssa around on the floor.

"I really don't think you could ever look more beautiful," he told her as he drew her close.

"I should probably dance with the bride next song. You should dance with the groom," he suggested.

Alyssa smiled at him. "And although I see you in a suit almost every day, you do look good in it," she told him with a sly smile.

Alyssa glanced over at Rowan and Ray and then raised her eyebrows at Jack.

"You really want to disturb them?" she asked.

"Not now, obviously, next dance," Jack snorted. "I'm not ready to let go of you, yet," he added and tightened his grip on her.

Alyssa nodded and accommodated herself comfortably in his grasp. She smiled up at him then glanced over at Rowan and Ray. Her smile grew wider as she noticed the look of sheer happiness on Rowan's face and she carefully directed Jack's attention towards them.

"She looks so blissful," she remarked softly.

Jack nodded.

"Like how I feel when I look at you," he said and spun her around.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Bolton chuckled and patted Whitney's shoulder as he followed Paul over to the table. He caught sight of Poppy and Jodie and then looked over his shoulder at Whitney. She and Lauren were looking at them too. He sighed and glanced at Paul. He supposed it was better for Paul to wait for the actual date.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

"Oh my god, Poppy, Rowan looks amazing," Jodie breathed. "They really do look sweet."

She sighed dreamily.

Poppy looked on at Rowan and Ray as they danced and sighed heavily. Even with this date tonight that she was nervous about, she still felt a little bit down.

"That's what I want Jodes, something like that," she said wistfully as she rested her chin in her hand and gazed at Rowan and Ray.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

"I almost wish I wasn't going home tomorrow," Gem said, her tone slightly wistful as she and Maggie wandered towards the buffet.

Maggie smiled at Gem.

"Then stay for a bit longer?" she suggested then glanced around and leaned in a little closer. "Ray's taking Rowan to Greece, so I'm looking after Claire and Denis, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you staying," she smiled.

Gem shook her head. "I can't, there's too much to do back home, otherwise I wouldn't mind."

Maggie sighed and nodded. "We're all going to have to come over to visit," she smiled. "I'll admit I'm deeply curious about your home."

"You would be more than welcome," Gem told her. "I can always use another hand. I certainly put Ray and Rowan to work when they came over," she said and grinned.

Maggie laughed and nodded. "I can well imagine," she agreed with a chuckle.

The twins grinned matching grins and ran to their parents, Denis tugging on Rowan's dress, Claire at Ray's jacket. Rowan turned her head and looked down then looked back at Ray.

"I think they want to cut in," she said and gave a small chuckle. She picked up Denis and smiled at him. "I guess you want to dance with me?" she asked and he nodded.

She watched Ray pick up Claire and the little girl immediately planted a kiss on her father's cheek.

"I'm glad Charlie suggested we come here," Lauren told Whitney. "Annie was at the Arghee Bhaji with Bradley. It was a little awkward."

"I can imagine," she glanced over at Bolton and Paul and then back at Lauren.

"I think Paul is going to find out Poppy's here," she gestured with a chuckle as Paul hurried away from the buffet. Lauren watched as Paul rushed across the room and stumbled on Poppy's chair. She snorted a laugh.

"I think so, too," she remarked and Charlie looked down at her.

"What are you two going on about?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing," Lauren replied. "Let's dance."

Charlie nodded and led her out to join the other people.

/\\/\/\\\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\

Paul barely kept his plate in hand as he bumped into a chair he hadn't noticed. He looked down in panic.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," he quickly apologized. He looked at his plate and then at the girl. "I don't think I spilled any on you, though."

Jodie turned and put a hand on Poppy's arm and looked her friend over carefully.

"She seems okay, but you should watch where you're going," Jodie said, a small frown marring her features.

"Jodes, it's not like he knocked her down," Darren said and Jodie looked at him. "No, but that's a designer skirt, who knows what kind of stain she could have ended up with," she told him and turned back to Poppy.

Poppy gaped at Paul. She hardly noticed that he may have spilt anything on her and just gazed at his face.

She looked over at Jodie and smiled. "It's him, Jodes, I'm sure of it," she whispered.

Paul straightened and put his plate down as he realized who he'd bumped into.

"You're Poppy aren't you?" Paul asked and then smiled. "I'm Paul, I'm supposed to meet you later."

Jodie's eyes widened. "I suppose he is," she muttered back and then turned to Darren.

Poppy smiled nervously at him and looked to Jodie for support. She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do now.

"Yeah," she said and looked at Jodie and Darren again then back up at Paul.

"You want to sit with us now?" she asked as she gestured at the empty seat.

Paul glanced over at Bolton and then back down at Poppy and shrugged.

"Okay," he said and carefully put his food-laden plate on the table before dragging a chair to the table and sitting down. He gestured at his plate.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asked her and picked up one of the pastries he'd chosen and took a bite. "Oh, my god, this is good," he mumbled and quickly covered his mouth with his hand and gave Poppy an apologetic look.

Poppy looked at the plate longingly.

"But I'm on a diet!" she exclaimed sadly. "There isn't much here than I can eat," she said forlornly as she watched him. She licked her lips subconsciously as she avidly watched him eat the pasty.

Paul snorted at Poppy's comment.

"But you're so thin!" he said and gaped at her. He pushed one of the small pies over to her. "It's just chicken and stuff," he told her. "Have one, they're good."

He leaned over. "Maybe we can share a piece of cake later?"

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Once their hunger had been sated, the twins began to amuse themselves throwing things at each other. Gem glanced over, looked at Maggie and jerked her head in the twins' direction before walking over and putting a stop to it before they began throwing very messy food.

Maggie bit back her laughter and tried to keep her expression reasonably strict. She couldn't help but laugh at her grandchildren. She finished eating and moved towards Denis and Claire.

"How about you two go and dance?" she suggested. "I'm sure if you ask nicely then the DJ will play a song you like.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Hale sighed as he watched Lucy Beale walking from the station. He quickly put his phone down and started the car. His wife always did have the worst timing. He'd get Lucy yet, though. She needed…taking care of.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Bradley walked Annie to the pub for her shift and then stayed and had a pint. He noticed Max come in and nodded.

"Hi, Dad," he said as Max sat down.

"So, how are thing?" Max wanted to know, his glance in Annie's direction telling Bradley what, in particular, he meant.

Bradley nodded. "Fine, Dad. She's very nice and I like her. We had lunch today."

Max's eyebrows went up and he took a sip of his drink. "So, she's not going back with her ex?"

Bradley shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't really talk about it. He and Lauren came into the restaurant when we were there, but they left. He probably took her to Rowan's do over at the club."

"Oh, right, that's today. I better go get Tanya then, she's probably ready to go and annoyed with me."

Bradley smiled and waved goodbye. Annie walked over and sat down.

"Dead in here," she remarked.

"Rowan's wedding thing is over at the club," Bradley told her.

"Oh, that's right. I guess we'll see them when all the free food is gone," she joked.

Bradley toyed with his glass a moment.

"Are you going to get back with your ex?" he asked her finally.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I love Charlie, a lot, but he chose to end it and I'm not sure he would take me back."

"Ah," Bradley said. "What if he wanted you back?"

Annie met Bradley's gaze. "Then I would go back, yes," she said gently and covered Bradley's hand with her own.

He gave her a small smile. "I'll entertain you until then."

"You're sweet, Bradley, I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, don't worry about it. We'll be mates until we get the chance to be something else."

"Thank you. I don't have many friends here," she said sadly.

"You did pick the wrong woman's husband," he told her with a chuckle.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Didn't I just, though it wasn't planned."

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Lauren pressed close to Charlie as they danced. She was really falling for him and wished she knew where they stood. He was being civil and talking to Annie on occasion. Did that mean they were going to get back together? She didn't know. She hated to ask. She didn't want to seem too desperate. She smiled at him to cover her feelings and felt her heart leap when he smiled back.

She slid her arm tighter around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She felt a wave of elation when he kissed her back. She broke off the kiss and met his gaze.

"You know, Whitney is distracted here, we could go to mine," she suggested. She kept her tone light, non-committal. If he said no, she would not let him see it bother her. She watched as instead, he nodded.

"Let's go," he said and kept an arm around her waist as they left the club. Lauren glanced over at Whitney and shot her a cheesy smile. Whitney raised her eyebrows and gave Lauren a thumbs up. About time.

She walked over to Bolton. "Well, I think Lauren may have successfully snared Charlie," she told him. "They've just left and the smile Lauren gave me leaves no doubt what they are going to be doing."

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Lauren led Charlie back to her room when they got to the flat and giggled as she tackled him onto the bed and began to kiss him again. Charlie smiled as he kissed her back, but his mind began to wander to Annie. He missed her. He broke off the kiss as Lauren began to unbutton his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I just can't," he said to her sadly. Lauren looked at him in surprise, but tried desperately to hide her disappointment as he stood up and buttoned his shirt. "I have to go."

Lauren nodded and tried for what she hoped was a supportive look and tried to ignore the pain in her chest and the lump in her throat. She waited until he left before dropping back to the bed in tears.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Charlie ran all the way to the pub. He rushed inside and looked around frantically for Annie and hurried over when he saw her, she'd clearly been to change a barrel. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his tall frame.

"I want you back," he told her as he held her. "We belong together."

He looked down at her and gently wiped her tears away with the ball of his thumb. She reached into her pocket and pulled out his set of flat keys and held them up.

"I hoped you would say that," she whispered. He wrapped his hand around the keys and then bent and kissed her.

"Any chance you can duck out now?" he asked her quietly. She turned to look at Peggy who had been watching them. Peggy rolled her eyes and made a shooing gesture. Annie smiled and blew a kiss at Peggy and then smiled up at Charlie before turning to leave, her hand tight in his.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

Chris noticed Olivia getting fretful. She was warm, too, he noticed when he picked her up to quiet her fussing.

"Shaz, I don't think Olivia's feeling well. I'm going to take her home. You stay and enjoy the party, we'll be fine," he told her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll make sure you have a ride home," he added and spoke to Charlie as he was leaving, who readily agreed to drive Shaz when she was ready.

Chris drove himself and Olivia home and gave her some baby medicine. He held for awhile until her fussing stopped and then carried her up to her room and put her to bed. He turned as the sound of a knock on the door and went downstairs.

"Lucy," he said in surprise. She smiled. "Hi, I saw you drive past the station and hoped you were coming home."

She pushed past him and came into the flat.

"Olivia's upstairs, she got sick," he told her as he turned, closing the door behind her.

"I'll be quiet, I promise," she said and plastered her lips to his. Chris broke off the kiss at the sound of a knock on the door. He looked at Lucy. "Hide, if it was Shaz she wouldn't knock."

Lucy nodded and hurried to the kitchen and closed the door. She left it open just a crack so she could hear. Chris opened the door and was knocked backwards. He stumbled against the couch and shook his head to clear it. He heard the door close and looked up to see Hale standing there.

"Where is she?" Hale growled. He focused on Chris and pointed at him. "I saw her come in, so don't lie to me."

Lucy heard Hale and stormed out of the kitchen.

"I assume it's me you're looking for?" she demanded. "Well, here I am, what do you want?"

Hale's lips curved in a menacing smile and he darted forward and grabbed hold of Lucy.

"Time for you to pay," he hissed and backhanded her.

"Oi!" Chris snapped and grabbed at Hale, but the larger man swung his arm and knocked Chris aside, his meaty fist catching the side of Chris' head. Chris fell to the floor, dazed from the blow. Hale dragged Lucy to the kitchen and he grabbed a kitchen chair and carried it back to the front room, squeezing her when she tried to struggle too much. He pushed her into the chair and then pulled a hank of cord from his jacket pocket and tied her to it. Lucy's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" she gasped. Hale went over and quickly looped cord around Chris' wrists and ankles and tied it to keep him from interfering. He walked back to Lucy and looked her up and down, his face twisted in a sneer.

"Do you know what they used to do to women like you?" he asked her. She opened her mouth to answer, but he had turned away and went to the door. He opened it, picked something up that had been outside the door and brought it in. He walked over to Lucy and held it up in front of her as he twisted off the cap.

"They burned women like you once up on a time," he informed her, his tone low and dark. Chris quickly shifted around, managing to get to his knees.

"Hale, no, don't do this," he said as he struggled against his bonds. Hale lifted a booted foot, planted it in Chris' chest and shoved him away. Hale turned and poured the gasoline over Lucy, causing her to gasp and let out a low cry. His grin was maniacal as he waved the can around, carelessly splashing petrol around.

"Hale, stop, I never did anything to you, why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you deserve it," he said simply as he tossed the can aside and pulled a box of matches from his pocket and lit one. Lucy's eyes widened. "No!" she screamed shrilly and upstairs in her room, Olivia let out a wail as Lucy's scream woke her up. Hale's head jerked up in surprise, he hadn't known the kid was home! He didn't realize his fingers had opened and the match had dropped to the carpet. Lucy screamed again as the flames shot up her leg and she managed to jerk her body hard enough that the chair fell over. The fire burned the cord on her leg enough she got it free and she managed to ignore the pain in her leg enough to slam it against her other leg and the floor to try and put the fire out.

Chris managed to roll onto his back and he thrust his legs out and knocked Hale over. He shifted around, gritted his teeth and shoved his hands away from his back as far as he could before edging towards the fire on the carpet. He hissed as he felt the flames lick his hands, but jerked his arm until the fire had burned the cord enough to break. He quickly rolled away from the flames and yanked the cord from his ankles before hurrying to help Lucy. He grabbed hold of the chair leg and dragged Lucy and the chair away from the flames before pulling off his jacket to make sure the fire on her leg was out. He quickly untied her and helped her stand.

He left her standing there and then ran to the kitchen for the fire extinguisher, but the flames, feeding off the fuel that had spattered everywhere from Hale's hasty splashing was quickly turning the front room into an inferno. Chris dropped the extinguisher and ran upstairs. He grabbed Shaz' jewelry box and shoved it in Olivia's diaper bag. He grabbed some clothes out of Olivia's drawers, her favorite toy and shoved them in the bag before grabbing his crying daughter out of her crib and dashing downstairs. He went into the kitchen again; noticing as he ran past that Lucy had her phone to her ear and was trying without much success to put the fire out with the extinguisher.

Hale was still lying on the floor, he looked unconscious. He head must have hit the floor hard. Chris grabbed down the tin they kept the house money in and shoved it in the bag. He went into the front room and grabbed the photo album, shoving it into the bag aswell then he put a hand on Lucy's arm to get her attention.

She gazed at him stupidly a moment and then the extinguisher dropped from her nerveless hands.

"Take her and get out, I'll get Hale out," he said and noticed the flames following the trails of petrol to the walls. He thrust Olivia and the bag at Lucy and she grabbed then reflexively.

"Get out before we can't. He got that stuff everywhere," he bellowed at her. She nodded and hurried for the door. She could already hear the sirens.

Chris leaned down and grabbed hold of Hale's arms and pulled, trying to drag the man across the floor. The fire was getting worse and it was getting hard to breathe. Chris strained. Damn, why did Hale have to be so big! He wasn't much taller than Chris or even Ray, but the man was a dense mass of muscle and he was becoming very difficult to shift. Chris grunted and strained some more. He wished the man would come to, the fire was getting to close and it had already made its way up the wall and was crossing the ceiling, eagerly chasing the drops of petrol that Hale had managed in his carelessness to splash up there. He got a tighter grip on Hale's arms and pulled again and didn't notice the flames were reaching the empty gas can behind him. The leftover petrol inside and the fumes exploded and he was hit in the back of the head and knocked to the floor by a twisted piece of metal that had been part of the gas can moments before he and Hale were engulfed in flames.

Lucy looked around startled as the fire trucks pulled up. She'd known they were coming, but was hypnotized by the flames. A fireman jerked her back as the flames inside the house blossomed, the windows of the flat blowing out in a shatter of glass.

"CHRIS!" she shrieked and felt tears trace hot tracks down her cheeks. The fireman gentled his grip on her and tugged gently to lead her away so she could be checked by the paramedics that had arrived. She went with him blindly, the sound Olivia's crying a low din in one ear, the roar of the flames in her other.

***Doof Doof ***

**To be continued...?**


End file.
